Dear Editor,

As we bid farewell to a hurricane season, our minds are painted with the memories of the many days the sky opened its eyes and rivers overflowed their banks, roads became waterways, animals drowned, and asphalt suffered assault and was often relocated.

The Government has been pointed out as the one to be blamed for not cleaning the drains that contributed largely to the wide-scale flooding on the island.

Now the question has to be asked: Should the State solely shoulder the blame for the flooding and consequent damage?

I beg to say no.

What is in the gullies or on the side of the roads? Our garbage! It is evident to me where some of the blame should go.

We face it year in, year out, where our own doing has cost us millions, and even our lives. It does not take a scientist to tell us that plastic is not permeable. Plastic bottles, plastic bags and styrofoam boxes are major contributors to the yearly flooding we experience, but it is easier to blame the Government than the ‘man in the mirror’.

We are a nasty set of people, and even with all our history of flood damage we continue to drown ourselves in our own actions and blame the Government.

Should the Government place litter wardens at every street, in every vehicle, and in every gully? How hard is it to hold our garbage until we get to the nearest bin or hold it until we get home? Calculus-hard it seems.

We have a nasty habit of not taking responsibility of our own actions. If we were to look out our windows right now we will see the cause of the next bout of flooding, and the cycle continues. We don’t learn!

While it is the Government’s responsibility to keep the country clean, the same is true for the citizens; and if we litter to provide employment, sorry, it is not working, we have only succeeded in sinking the country deeper into debts.

Stop dutty up Jamaica!

Hezekan Bolton

h_e_z_e@hormail.com