Clean up Montego Bay
published: Thursday | August 7, 2003

THE EDITOR, Sir:

MY HUSBAND, a travel writer, and I visited Jamaica two weeks ago for Reggae Sumfest. While the concert was okay I was appalled by the squalid conditions of the town of Montego Bay.

This was my first visit to Jamaica, and my husband's second ­ he had visited Jamaica 15 years ago. I could not believe we were in the unspoilt, untouched piece of paradise so beautifully advertised on many of the major television networks in the USA. The amount of garbage that littered the streets of St. James was unbelievable. How can the citizens of Jamaica condone this level of pollution? The stagnant water and pungent smells coupled with the thousands of plastic bottles, tyres, cardboard boxes and styrofoam containers, and other non-biodegradable materials made this trip to Jamaica my first and last one.

Even in the financially deprived island of Cuba they have managed to successfully keep their surroundings sanitary and aesthetically pleasing. I am aware of the rich cultural heritage that Jamaica has to share with the rest of the world but you may all be contributing to your own demise if something is not done immediately to transform your little island from garbage dump to paradise.

I am, etc.,

KRISTINA RITCHIE

kritchie_70@yahoo.com

Norwalk

Connecticut

USA

Via Go-Jamaica'

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