The popular tourist attraction became inundated with serious physical and infrastructural deficiencies including signs of rat and roach infestation.
“The conditions as we met them were grossly unsanitary,” said Health Parliamentary Secretary Ron Pinder. “There was an enormous amount of garbage and obviously there are concerns about the infestation of roaches and rodents, rats in particular. Also, there was a stench, I suspect from the indiscriminate dumping of food items and a strong odour of urine coming from parts of the market, particularly the western wing.”
Mr Pinder said approximately 20 truck loads of garbage have been carted from the site since the clean-up campaign began on Tuesday. He said the exercise only underscores the need to have the market properly cleaned and sanitized at least twice per quarter simply because of the significant number of persons who work and move throughout the area on any given day.
Reportedly, over the years the vendors have been faced with quite a number of concerns about the venue including unsanitary bathroom facilities, exposed electrical wiring, inadequate ventilation, criminal activities and the presence of illegal migrants.
The campaign is being spearheaded by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Cynthia Pratt who assumed responsibility for the market last month.
She said the straw market is a “national symbol of The Bahamas and is extremely important to our tourism product.” Hence, it was only fitting that repair works be carried out and a cleaning campaign be conducted. “Tons of garbage have been collected here over a period of time. And of course, it is important for us to make sure that it is sanitary. We are concerned about the health of the vendors and the tourists alike,” she said, while touring the area yesterday to ensure that everything was going according to plan.
Electricians, carpenters and personnel from the Department of Environmental Health were on site hard at work, including police officers who were carrying out repairs to the booths. The Ministry of Works is repairing the bathroom facilities, some of which are without doors.
And while many believe that the two-day closure will result in the loss of hundreds of dollars, they agree that the health and safety issues needed to be addressed. “It is going to be hard, but in the long run it will be to our benefit. And I must commend Minister Pratt for her swift efforts in attempting to address the situation,” said one vendor who spoke to the Guardian on the condition of anonymity.
The 800-plus vendors are scheduled to return to the premises on Friday at 6 a.m.
When the market opens on Friday, police officers will be stationed at the market in a bid to significantly reduce reported incidents of tourist harassment.
And while a brand new state-of-the-art market will not be ready for a few years, Minister Pratt hopes that the clean up will make the lives of the vendors a little more comfortable.
The clean-up campaign is just one of many improvements to be made to the market.
By: KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, The Nassau Guardian
