By 
In Guyana, one has to continuously put up with pollution in all forms especially air pollution. Also, I believe that this form of pollution poses the greatest threat to health and the affected have no alternative but to suffer silently and hope that they do not develop any serious illnesses as a result of continuously inhaling toxic air.
Response from the authorities
If you believe that those tasked with cleaning up the environment are going to help you or enforce whatever environmental laws exist then you would end up embarrassed and bitter over having faith in a corrupt system in the first place. The authorities are the most bare-faced hypocrites; while they preach about having a so-called green economy, they do absolutely nothing to foster this.
To begin with, I must say that I am not an Eco-Nazi or extremist environmentalist; not even close but I do think that we ought to have empathy and consideration for others and the environment. Through my own problems with dirty air I became aware of how serious the issue is country-wide and how unwilling the relevant authorities are to address this health threat. Air pollution is seen as a ‘fancy problem’/ a first world issue. In many developing countries, due to lack of awareness and education on certain topics, people tend to dismiss what they can’t see.
Air pollution
The health issues associated with air pollution normally appear long after exposure; a person would not get cancer right after inhaling the smoke from a pack of cigarettes. There are many factors to consider including biological and environmental however, the risk is increased and that is not something that should be ignored especially if one is affected due to the activities of others.
It is very difficult to talk to people about pollution. They don’t want to hear about it especially since there aren’t any consequences and this in turn has created a society of selfish, apathetic people. On any given day, there are people burning rubbish in heavily populated neighbourhoods and along the main highways. You will also see garbage dumping, littering and smell heavily polluted waterways filled with garbage and blackened by waste. Then we have the inescapable toxic, black fumes emanating from the exhaust pipes of vehicles.
Residents are subjected to this everyday yet when they become sick hardly anyone considers the daily air pollution. Given the state of our health care system and the serious illnesses that plague people often, respiratory complaints are seen as trivialities.
Fancy respiratory issues!
Once, I found myself in a very comical situation due to my allergies. I went to the hospital looking for a doctor with specialization in allergies. After telling the clerk about my problem (first step before actually seeing a doctor) she asked if that was all then looked at me like I was some sort of hypochondriac. The doctor she sent me to turned out to be a paediatrician who just gave me some tablets and said that there was nothing wrong with me. On my second visit he said that he was referring me to a colleague. The colleague turned out to be a Psychiatrist! After my one hour was up the doctor declared that I was one of the sanest persons she had ever met. Later, I learnt that there aren’t any allergist in the country.
My plight
Well, my air pollution woes began many years ago. I became fed up with inhaling dirty air on a daily basis due entirely to the activities of my neighbours. So, I don’t even smoke or engage in any type of risky behaviour yet others were polluting my lungs and destroying my health without my consent and to get them to stop was an uphill battle that lasted years and is still not over.
I live next door to a bar and the owner was burning all the rubbish (styrofoam boxes, plastic utensils etc.) in a concrete structure on the road and cooking the bar food in an outdoor cooking setup using wood and kerosene (cheaper for him). Due to the fact that his house is after mine and we live near the ocean all the smoke was blown in our direction. At all hours he would burn and cook and I was constantly sick with respiratory illnesses. I had to self-medicate to stop non-stop sneezing, itchy eyes and sore throat. One of the side effects of the mediation was drowsiness so after the sneezing stopped I would feel lethargic.
One day, I decided to complain to the neighbourhood councillors and that started a process which took many years of complaints to them, the Ministry of Local Government, EPA, Regional authorities and the Press just to get my neighbour to stop burning! Only with the Media exposing my issue was I finally able to get some help; the burning and outdoor cooking stopped but the bar owner still hasn’t constructed a ventilation duct for the fumes from his cooking (all of the bar food is deep fried and the fumes from this aggravates my allergies). The man just opens his kitchen window to let the fumes out; his kitchen is very close to us. I wrote about this issue.
Now you might be wondering why I haven’t moved. The problem with air pollution in Guyana is countrywide. It boils down to lack of enforcement of environmental laws (if they exist), little to no public awareness campaigns on hygiene, cleanliness, health and its connection to the environment; and of course, lack of consideration for others.
Garbage dumping
The city and most parts of Guyana are dirty. The only clean places I’ve noticed are the very upscale neighbourhoods, gated communities and areas that house VIP buildings like embassies and ministries.
What I find very irritating is the fact that thousands of Guyanese from all walks of life have migrated to the USA and Canada. There, they respect the laws, environment and people yet they are unable to do this in Guyana.
Garbage dumping and burning are the most normal things. In my neighbourhood there is a free weekly garbage pickup in addition to private garbage trucks which are cheap and an option for business owners yet people pollute without care. The problem with air pollution is the impossibility of protecting yourself from it. For instance, many persons cannot afford to just migrate to another country or an upscale neighbourhood where people may be more considerate.
Air pollution is linked to so many health issues including terminal conditions. Millions die each year from air pollution and the healthcare costs are astronomical; there is loss of quality of life and productivity. Imagine becoming afflicted with terminal conditions such as cancer and heart diseases due to air pollution caused by the activities of selfish people. When plastic and other materials are burnt many toxic chemicals are released that have been directly linked to a host of cancers.
Reaction to pollution
Unfortunately, in the developing world there is a reactive rather than proactive approach to healthcare and very few question the ‘why’. People become sick, visit the hospital or just use over-the-counter medication to treat the symptoms. Often, due to our superstitious culture, people would even accuse their neighbours of doing ‘obeah’(black magic) to get them sick.
In order to reduce pollution people must first see it as a problem. I know that the pollution issues that I have described can be found in many developed and developing countries in the world. Guyana is not unique here but if people just use the excuse that it happens in other places to not do anything about it then eventually, the ‘problem’ is no longer seen as a ‘problem’ but instead is normalised. Change cannot occur unless people want change.
