Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen says an aggressive approach is needed to address the issue of bushfires in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking at the opening ceremony for the first Bushfire Conference at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation on Tuesday morning, she made it clear that there needs to be proper enforcement of the laws that govern bushfires in Trinidad and Tobago.
“We have to encourage more people to do the right thing first. Ten dollars for a fire permit. Twenty dollars for lighting an illegal fire, and they will still go and light an illegal fire. So what we need to focus on is enforcement.”
The Minister is encouraging Members of Parliament and Local Government representatives to engage citizens through public education to address this annual issue.
“So through public education, our Community Emergency Response Team training, and collaboration with those Village Councils I mentioned earlier, those NGOs, we have a lot of civil organisations who are interested because of love for community and country, and this will empower residents.”
Minister Ameen said the Ministry’s Litter Prevention Unit and the Municipal Policing Unit will be responsible for the enforcement of laws against bushfires. However, she insisted that a collaborative approach is needed.
“Communities are the first line of defence. The first line. And our local government representatives, the elected representatives, are the closest to the ground, and that is why Municipal Corporations play such a key role. Fire-ready communities could save lives.”
Representatives from various Regional and Borough Corporations, the Environmental Management Authority, Fire Services, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management attended Tuesday’s conference.