MP wants plan for spraying near schools

An emergency meeting was held at the school on Thursday among officials including Mayaro MP Rushton Paray and chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh.

Paray, after the meeting, said the issues raised included the scheduling and co-ordination of spraying and fogging close to public institutions.

“As we ramp up agricultural activities throughout the country, events such as these have the potential to flare up and we must put systems in place to deal with them with urgently,” Paray said via a post on Facebook.

On Wednesday at about 9.15 am, while classes were in session, students and teachers complained of headaches, nausea, a burning sensation in their stomachs and respiratory problems.

School sources said there was a pungent stench at the school’s compound that day. The incident came days after 14 students of the Rio Claro Vedic Primary School were taken to San Fernando General Hospital with similar symptoms.

It is believed the students inhaled pesticides from a nearby farm.

Paray also called on the Agriculture Ministry and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to collaborate in addressing the issue of chemical usage among agricultural practitioners who operate in fields near educational institutes and residential homes.