By Gary Hatigeva
THE Honiara City Council (HCC) is in the process of revitalising its health ordinance to curb the ongoing health issues and concerns that a lot of its residents have raised both in the media and formally to their office regarding the feed of pigs and other small scale farming practices within the city.
Honiara City Mayor Andrew Mua revealed in an interview that the council has so far received quite a large number of complaints regarding certain residences within the City Boundary, reported to have turned residential areas into piggery or poultries.
The Mayor revealed that a meeting was conducted yesterday regarding issues of public health, which includes public discretions and air pollution from these small scale farming.
He added that following the meeting, a taskforce was established and they will thoroughly look back into the ordinance and come up with papers on how the council can tackle this issue at the same time reinforce the law.
The Health ordinance was established to “enhance public health, safety, and welfare through the regulation of residential area health and reduce or eliminate offensive health hazardous behaviour”.
It also puts measures, ensuring no residence establishes practices that would or might disturb the health peace amongst the city’s residents.
This includes the prohibition to grow animals in such manner that would create health hazard to communities, neighbours and other related matters.
Mua explained that once all paperwork are completed, the council will start to visit residences as part of another inspection to ensure all residents comply with these laws and create healthy environment for all.
He however urged families and residents that practice what is now becoming a concern to both residents and Council, to start planning the relocation of their animals or have them slaughtered.
“Because if the authority gets to you before that, all the efforts and money spent to maintain your small scale farming activities will be a goner and those caught will also face penalties.
“So my advice to all good residents of Honiara City is, if you know you fall within this matter and don’t want to become the subject or centre of attention in all this, please start looking at options to save your animals.
“If you have friends or family outside of the City boundary that you can trust to take care of all that, then I suggest you make arrangements now, but if you don’t, I suggest you start planning their slaughtering now or you’ll end up not even tasting a bit of either your pigs or chicken or whatever they maybe,” the Mayor further stressed.
