Plastic pollution around Belair Mineral Spa concerns environmental group

The amount of garbage that has accumulated in the river that runs next to the Belair Mineral Spa is a cause of concern for a local environmental group, which has issued a warning to persons using the spa to refrain from dumping their plastic bottles and other rubbish in the area.

The Mineral Spa has for generations been an area where persons from the surrounding communities and afar have flocked to fill containers with the ‘sparkling’ water which is said to have healing properties for the body.

On Saturday, September 30, members of the GreenHouse Lab SVG (GHLSVG), a local non-profit organization, conducted a clean-up in the area.

Executive Director of GHLSVG, Nashika Hope, said the group was “disgusted” with the amount of garbage in the river which they suspect is coming from persons who use the Spa to collect water as well as households in the area.

“There were so many plastic bottles, plastic bags,corn curl wrappers, cans, tins, household appliances and utensils – so much garbage. There was even a strong scent of a dead animal around the river that we were unable to locate. It was very horrible and serious action needs to be taken for the rivers not only in Belair, but across St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Hope described the clean-up effort as “heartbreaking”, adding it appears as though Vincentians have developed a callous attitude towards the upkeep of their surroundings.

“River pollution is a very stressful problem… where do you think the water from the rivers is going? That same pollution, that same dead dog, it goes down to the beach. It can cause a problem for fish species in the river and for the people living around the river.”

She issued a call for the users of the spa and households in the area to be mindful of their disposal practices.

“I am appealing to all the users of the Spa to keep the environment clean. I am appealing to all the people in the community to stop throwing their garbage inside the river. If you continue with this action, people will get sick so we are urging the people in and around the community and the users of the Spa to stop littering. If you bring bottles that you no longer want please throw it in the garbage or take it back home.”

She added, “persons should by now know the dangers of littering” especially when it comes to diseases such as leptospirosis and mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever.