While the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is aware that erosion is occurring at the Le Repentir Cemetery, there is nothing that can be done at this time to prevent the tombs from falling into the canal south of Princes Street.

Guyana Standard sat down with a few officials from the M&CC earlier this week to talk about the massive deterioration on the western side of the northern end of the cemetery facing Princes Street, where the structural integrity of tombs is being compromised as the land beneath diminishes.

In his capacity of Chairman of the Cemetery Committee, Heston Bostwick – a man who wears many hats in the municipality – said that upgrades to that parapet were not catered for in the 2019 budget.

He, however, assured this publication that rectifying the issue will be a priority when the council moves to prepare its 2020 financial plan.

“The first thing we are looking at is to have that entire stretch of the canal palled since it is hindering revetment and that’s posing some sort of deterioration to the tombs,” he said.

Bostwick said that most of the cemetery woes were “inherited”. He spoke of the Council now trying to bring the site into an acceptable stage of “universal standard”. He added that the Engineer’s Department and the Cemetery Committee are working hand in hand to have the project on the way.

Currently, maintenance works are being done at the cemetery where several sections have been de-bushed. These works Bostwick said, are being done voluntarily by contractors, who he said would have benefited from previous maintenance contracts.

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