Kingstown ‘a filthy city’ – Tourism Association VP

Vice President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Association Vera-Ann Brereton has described this nation’s capital, Kingstown, as “filthy”.{{more}}

Brereton, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Central Water and Sewerge Authority’s (CWSA) workshop on waste management and education said she is a firm believer that any country that does not take care of its environment is “doomed to fail”.

Brereton stated that Kingstown, “is the most important area” in St Vincent but has suffered significantly because of poor environmental care.

“I am tired of seeing visitors to this country coming off cruise ships and stopping at the NIS (National Insurance Services) building and turning back. And why, because I am not holding back anything, Kingstown is a filthy, filthy city.

“I don’t care if I am upsetting anybody, because it upsets me a lot,” she stated.

“It does not have to be like that,” Brereton further added.

She explained that there are a number of factors which contribute to the state of Kingstown, including the selfish actions of citizens.

“… If you walk through parts of Middle Street now, you will see a lot of buildings being rebuilt or refurbished and looking quite good. But then you look at the sidewalks and the drains and you get very upset.

“This is the 21st century and we still have open drains in our capital.

“This is not acceptable,” a displeased Brereton further stated.

Participants at Tuesday’s workshop were reminded that they are responsible for ensuring that each community in the country has a healthy and clean environment.

This, Brereton said, attracts visitors, which will impact positively on tourism development.

“In your community, each of you has a role to play in tourism development and its success. You may think that there is nothing in your community that will attract tourists, whether that tourist is from somewhere else in St Vincent and the Grenadines, from the Caribbean or elsewhere, you may think that.

“But the trend today, and it has been for some time now, that people who are travelling are looking for experiences that they will not find at home,” Brereton said.

The workshop brought together leaders from environmental and other community organizations from across St Vincent.

The key objective of the seminar was to discuss critical issues and to establish collaborative relationships between the CWSA and the Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) and community organizations throughout SVG.(AA)