By Sharmain CornetteThe existing garbage crisis in the city is nothing less than a public health threat, said Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday.In an invited comment the Minister revealed that his Ministry is currently preparing an advisory,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, which will inform residents how to treat their waste in order to ensure that it is not detrimental to their health.He highlighted, that on a regular basis there are instances where waste is disposed of in an indiscriminate manner in alleyways and drains,Wholesale Jerseys China, adding that the fact that garbage is not being picked up and is left to pile up will only lend to a more intensified problem.As a result,Jerseys From China, Dr Ramsammy underscored that the prevalence of vectors will increase,Cheap Jerseys From China, mounting the potential of diseases, the likes of filaria and dengue even as the waterways become contaminated and the threat of leptospirosis looms.The Minister’s concerns were echoed in a letter inked by the Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO) which was addressed to the Health Minister and carbon copied to the media.The Minister in acknowledging receipt of the letter noted that “we at the Ministry are equally concerned and we are prepared to take various actions.”In the letter, which was signed by ECHO Director of Administration, Claudette Fredericks, a plea was made to the Minister to act immediately and bring an end to the crisis.“We the Directors and members of ECHO are writing to you because we are very concerned about the increasing accumulations of garbage in almost every street in the city. This is completely unacceptable and wrong to every citizen of this country,” Fredericks’s letter stated.It was highlighted that piles of rotting garbage are left to overspill on to the roadways and pavements,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, which both humans and animals have to come into contact with.This situation, Fredericks continued, puts at risk the health and lives of all citizens, particularly children and senior citizens, as it fosters a suitable environment for flies, roaches and rodents, which are carriers of all manner of diseases. And the problem, it was noted, can serve to put a strain on the National Health Department.“Many people have started to burn their garbage much to the discomfiture of their neighbours, particularly those who may have respiratory and associated illnesses. Worse is the new development that the waste emanating from the municipal markets would not be collected until who knows when?”And given the close proximity of the garbage to goods offered for sale for human consumption, the possibility of contamination of perishable goods could not be ruled out, Fredericks stressed. “The thought of what could be the likely impact to environmental and public health is absolutely frightening. It must stop now!”ECHO, according to the letter, is urging the Health Minister to take immediate action concerning the environmental crisis, even as it was noted that governments, environmental organisations and other agencies are paying serious attention to the way their communities, towns and cities are managed and developed.And since the situation will in no way help to address the challenges of climate change,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, “we must encourage and insist on good environmental stewardship,” Fredericks asserted.As such Minister Ramsammy revealed that he plans on meeting with the ECHO team as early as today in order to plot the way forward.Meanwhile, the Georgetown municipality through its Public Relations Officer, Royston King, revealed that the municipality has put in place semi-disposal sites along Mandela Avenue in the vicinity of the dumpsite. He said that residents could feel free to dispose of their garbage at the site, adding that municipal workers will be tasked with moving accumulated waste to the dumpsite. Additionally, he disclosed that municipal workers were also engaged in removal of some of the piled-up garbage sites around the city yesterday.However, when this newspaper visited some sections of the city there were yet many visible piles of garbage.The garbage crisis became a reality about two weeks ago when garbage disposal contractors – Cevons Waste Management Incorporated and Puran Brothers Waste Disposal Service – withdrew their services from the municipality. The contractors’ decision was rooted in the fact that they have not been compensated for their services for the months of June, July, August and half of May.