Hanover Residents Pleased With Clean-Up Exercise

Residents of several Hanover communities are praising the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development for implementation of the national clean-up programme in the parish.

The five-day drive commenced in Hanover on Saturday, September  10, with the  communities  of  Johnson Town, Elgin Town, McQuarrie, Hopewell, Sandy Bay and  Lucea being cleared of tons of solid domestic waste.

Expressing support for the programme, several appreciative residents tell JIS News that the exercise will play a major role in ridding the areas of not only bulky waste, but also breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Stacy-Ann Stoddart, a resident of McQuarrie, says the clean-up programme will ensure that the children are able to live and play in a clean environment.

“It’s a good thing, because the sites have a lot of mosquitoes.  This is the best thing I see happening in McQuarrie, because there are a lot of things that need to be cleared from the area,” she says.

A resident of Hopewell, Patsy Kerr, praises the authorities for the clean-up programme.

“I think it’s a very good exercise. We needed something like this a long time ago. We really need the clean-up to avoid the mosquitoes. I have to thank the Government, because I have never seen anything like this before,” she tells JIS News.

Another resident of Hopewell, Stennett McKenzie, says he has been living in the parish for 18 years and the clean-up programme is the best thing to have happened in his area.  “This is a wonderful job,” he tells JIS News.

Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Wynter McIntosh, tells JIS News that he is heartened by the support which the clean-up programme has received from the citizens, and he is confident the citizens will keep the areas clean.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who took charge of the first day of the clean-up drive, says he received tremendous support from residents of the targeted communities, and he is sure they will do likewise for the remaining four days.

“I am very touched by the involvement of the communities in Hanover. I am hoping that coming out of this exercise we will see an increase in awareness and we will see significant improvements as we go along,” he tells JIS News.

He adds that he is anticipating that between 80 and 85 per cent of the bulky solid waste will be removed from households and other areas during the five-day clean-up exercise.

The Local Government Ministry is spearheading the National Task Force established by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, to address the island’s state of cleanliness, particularly in light of the Zika virus, among other mosquito-borne diseases.

The Task Force also includes the Ministry of Health, National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Social Development Commission (SDC), National Works Agency (NWA), Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

Clean-up activities have already been undertaken in St. James, Portland and Kingston and St. Andrew.