Dear Editor,

The eerily beautiful mist that encompasses Portmore, Newport West, Spanish Town road and many other areas is in fact garbage smoke. One only has to take a sniff of the air and the instantly recognisable smell of burnt garbage takes charge. The fire at Riverton is not extinguished. It may be under control, but it is not out. Riverton burns while the politicians fiddle. “Toxicity levels are normal”, one politician said. Normal for what they have been forcing us to breathe for the past few decades.

Jamaica needs to get serious about the environment. Riverton is the best place to start. I suggest that government establish a new environment team with new agendas. Cleaning up the environment and punishing those who pollute it. Easier said than done, yes, but absolutely necessary. The rest of the Caribbean knows the value of our natural resources – sea, land and the air that we breathe. We must wake up to the fact that everyone else in the world is aware that pollution is destruction.

Aaron Johnston

aaronomix@gmail.com