With Carnival 2026 just around the corner, the Government has rolled out the National Programme for the Upkeep of Public Spaces, with a specific focus on the 2026 festivities.
This was announced by Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen, who revealed that more than 1,000 workers have been deployed across all 14 Regional Corporations, as well as to beaches, recreation grounds, and community venues.
She said the four-week operation, which runs from February 2nd to 28th, is designed to ease the burden on Municipal Corporations during the peak festivities.
“This programme was created based on Cabinet approval, where the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government will support and enhance the upkeep of public spaces, including areas that are to be used for Carnival celebrations, but also our beaches, recreation facilities and other spaces that are used for non-masquerading Carnival activities.”
She detailed the massive workforce supporting the clean-up effort.
“Over 1,000 workers were hired: 86 teams of persons, of 12 persons each, will work for four weeks, starting from the 2nd of February and going to the 28th of February. These teams have been hired by the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government and assigned to Corporations based on their need. Some Corporations, of course, are more expansive, and they have more celebrations, and therefore the numbers in the various regions, in various municipalities vary.”
She said the programme is also helping Corporations save significant money on overtime.
“The Regional Corporations, as they focus on their Carnival activities, they have also engaged equipment such as additional compactors to remove garbage, flat tray trucks, in some cases water trucks to wash the streets, they have engaged that type of equipment as well. What we have provided them is with additional labour, so that reduces their overtime bill tremendously. Their bill where they would have hired persons on short-term employment, that would also have been reduced.”
She also added that teams have already begun restoring beaches, Carnival spaces and recreation grounds.
“We have areas such as Tyrico Beach being cleaned up. We have several recreation grounds, recreation spaces. We have had spaces that are being used for stick fighting, for calypso competitions and so on that have started to be cleaned. We have had recreation grounds where they have Sports Days for Carnival and the Carnival season as well being targeted by the municipality.”
Several areas have also been identified as high-priority areas, including the Manzanilla/Mayaro stretch, Clifton Hill Beach in Point Fortin, and several beaches along the North Coast.