RADHICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Inlets along the southern Coasts of Trinidad are inundated with litter and councillor for Palo Seco, Dana O-Neil Gervais, has started doing something about it.
Last Saturday (February 13th), O-Neil Gervais and a team of 20 volunteers began cleaning up the Los Iros Beach and Sobo Beach in Palo Seco. Both areas are prime hotspots where Venezuelan migrants enter illegally.
Speaking exclusively to Guardian Media, O-Neil Gervais said she was concerned by the pollution around the coasts which is affecting marine life.
"I have a nine-year-old son who has done projects on pollution and every time we go to the beach, he wants to take a bag and pick up all the litter that we see," O-Neil Gervais said.
She expressed shock at the type of garbage they found.
"We picked up broken chairs, lots of bottles, styrofoam, under-garments, and even an old suitcase. In all we picked up 23 jumbo bags of garbage, filled totally and we did that in two hours," O-Neil Gervais said.
She explained that there was still a lot to be done so she planned to continue the beach clean-up on February 27.
O-Neil Gervais called on more citizens to support the drive.
"We must work together to clean up our beautiful beaches and protect our natural environment. We want people to maintain the cleanliness and serenity of the beaches. When you litter you hurt the environment," she said.
The councillor also called on the authorities to hire litter wardens to patrol the nation's beaches, particularly on days when the beaches are heavily populated.
After the clean-up, the garbage was separated for recycling.
Among those participating in the exercise were the councillor's executive assistant Dewana Vincent, MP for La Brea Stephen Mc Clashie, and former councillor Roopchand Balliram.
Anyone wanting to assist in the beach clean-up at Los Iros on February 27 can contact Vincent at 484-8742.
