The processes and routines followed to achieve adequate communal hygiene in Contramaestre now require a different kind of attention. This Santiago municipality enjoys a tradition of cleanliness and orderliness that must be rescued in order to prevent the proliferation of practices that threaten public image and health. Journalist Ricardo Chacón Rubio reflects on the subject from that territory.
Who doesn’t like cleanliness, order, hygiene…? The vast majority of human beings enjoy neatness, which not only generates spiritual satisfaction but also guarantees health and quality of life.
But maintaining those standards in streets, squares and parks in the conditions of domestic economy is much more complex, especially when everyone does not fulfill their part.
In Contramaestre, an indiscipline in environmental hygiene that never characterized its inhabitants has begun to proliferate. It is possible to see the accumulation of solid waste in public places, the appearance of micro dumps and mistreatment of the infrastructure.
Why is solid waste deposited in these places? The population reports that garbage collection takes longer than usual. Why has the collection cycle been extended? The communal workers explain that it is due to insufficient fuel… And this seems to explain everything.
However, there are other underlying causes: poor attention to the communal services worker, including delays in the payment of wages and the lack of means of protection. Behind this panorama there is a lack of control by the managers, neglect in the environmental education of the population and it is where public unconsciousness begins to gain ground.
These causes must be tackled before we get used to the mess, the filth and the bad smell. Because if there is one thing we Cubans know how to do, it is to live poor but clean. Resource limitations are no justification and the facts prove it.
In Contramaestre there are results that show what is possible when we work with love and commitment. The reference works are there for everyone to see. Whatever is done must be like that and better. There is plenty of talent and resources.
It cannot be left in the hands of justification how much can be done for a good image and the health of all.
