Efforts to make Bartica Guyana’s first green capital town will soon be boosted from the Office of Climate Change (OCC) under the purview of the Ministry of Presidency.

This was disclosed today, during a municipal conference held at the Marriott Hotel, , Kingston.

Bartica’s Mayor Gifford Marshall said that works to make Bartica the first green capital town, have been progressing, but slowly, as finances remain a challenge. The town has however, recently secured US $650,000 from the OCC that will greatly aid in its efforts.

“The greening initiatives are a concern since we (Bartica) need a lot more resources, but we were able to secure a grant through the Office of Climate Change of US $650,000, and we will be making that official announcement on the June 5, in Bartica so we are very grateful for that grant,” Marshall explained.

The Bartica Mayor pointed out that the most of the funds will be used to sensitise the citizens about the importance, and benefits of a green economy.

“I think that the grant will be a great push for the town to make significant strides however, most of the monies will be put to work studies (workshops) in terms of greening of Bartica, as well as a sensitisation campaign because we are still struggling to make people understand the concept of greening, struggling to get the message out there because we don’t have the resources,” Mayor Marshall added.

It was highlighted during the National Regional Development Consultative Committee (NRDCC) launch earlier this year that the capital town is grounded in the philosophy of President David Granger that Guyana’s development depends on strong regions in providing quality public services. These include education, energy, law enforcement, health, housing, water, immigration, taxation and the registration of births, deaths and businesses.

Last year, President Granger appealed to the residents to make Bartica the first model town to lead Guyana’s transformation towards a sustainable green economy.

Source: DPI