Part 2- The value of rivers in SVGBy Kimani Wiseman

Chelsea: Andy, where is your garbage bin? I bought a pelau from the restaurant, I want to dispose my food container in the garbage.
Andy: Garbage bin? Which garbage bin? I stop using garbage bin in this house. My garbage bin is the river. I usually dump all my garbage in the river. Last week, my dog big link died and I throw him in the river, I didn’t have time to bury him. The Mango and bread fruit tree that was in my backyard, I cut them down yesterday, the branches and the trunks are also in the river. The river is my landfill.
Chelsea: The River is your landfill? Do you know the value of the river?
Andy: The River has no value. It is a body of water that flows constantly.
Chelsea: The River has a lot of value. How do you think you get water in your home? The water that you are getting in your house comes from the river. When you throw your garbage and your dead dog big link in the river you are polluting the river. This would cause a lot of bacteria in the water which can give you and the community gastroenteritis. The River is a habitat for crayfish and I know you love to catch crayfish, when you pollute the river, you are going to kill all the crayfish in the river and you would not be able to catch any at all. Do you remember the bad drought we had recently? During that drought, farmer Williams use this river to supply his vegetables with water which provided the community with vegetables when they were scarce in the market. Last year, we had a lovely river cook, how are we supposed to have future river cook when you are polluting the river with garbage and dead dog? I would not be having any river cook in a smelly dirty river. During heavy rainfall, the garbage and the tree trunks would block the river which can cause flooding in the community. Careful you get wash away in your house when it is raining. Mosquitoes love stagnant water, when the river is blocked, you would have serious issues with mosquitoes and remember dengue fever is spreading like wild fire. The garbage would attract rats, flies and cockroaches which can spread leptospirosis and other diseases. Furthermore, the river ends in the ocean, these garbage would also end up in the ocean, which would destroy the marine life and the coral reefs.
Andy: Thanks for enlightening me with all this information because I was thinking about constructing a pig pen in the river next week but the waste would pollute the river. I would find another location.
Chelsea: I am happy that you are learning fast.