IT BECAME THE It is high time that the government takes the pollution of the environment seriously. Anyone driving through Paramaribo and other residential areas can hardly ignore it: overgrown plots, neglected roadsides, car wrecks and places where waste is dumped without any hesitation. What was considered a recurring annoyance for years has in many places developed into a structural problem that affects the quality of life in neighborhoods.
With it new fine decision environmental inspectors will finally have more opportunities to actually take action. As special police officers, they can draw up reports against offenders. The measures include illegal dumping, poorly maintained plots, neglected road verges, car wrecks on public roads and waste thrown from vehicles. The fines vary from SRD 1,000 to SRD 10,000.
This fining decision should not become another measure that looks impressive, especially on paper
That sounds decisive. However, the actual test is only just beginning. Suriname has no shortage of laws, decisions, rules and good intentions. What is too often lacking is consistent enforcement. Precisely because of this, the situation could deteriorate for years. Plots could remain overgrown for years, while local residents suffered the consequences. In other places, open areas and roadsides turned into informal waste dumps without offenders having to fear any noticeable consequences.
The government must also look critically at itself. Insufficient and inconsistent action has been taken for years. When rules exist but violations remain virtually without consequences, the impression naturally arises that no one has to adhere to them. That is why this fining decision should not become another measure that looks impressive, especially on paper. Society must actually notice enforcement on the street.
According to Minister Harish Monorath, fines have been possible since September 15 and citizens will be informed about the new measures. The use of SafeCitycameras when tackling offenders. This must be accompanied by visible, regular checks, rapid handling of complaints and equal treatment. Enforcement should not be a temporary campaign that fades away after a few weeks.
But citizens cannot place all responsibility on the government either. Anyone who throws rubbish on the street, dumps rubbish on an empty plot or allows their site to become overgrown for years is contributing to the problem and must be responsible for the consequences. A clean living environment is a shared responsibility, as the government rightly emphasizes.
The legal instruments are now in place. This reduces the excuses. The government must enforce and citizens must take responsibility. Only when both actually happen can this decision become the beginning of the change that has been necessary for years.
