JOEL JULIEN
“Anyone who wants to get a taste of hell can visit Springvale, Claxton Bay, at any time whenever the nearby Forres Park Landfill is ablaze.”
So said MP for Pointe-a-Pierre David Lee during a motion at the Lower House on Friday night as he recalled what a constituent recently told him.
Lee is now calling for the closure of the Forres Park Landfill because of the health and social issues affecting residents.
“Every dry season residents prepare for a grim winter of thick smoke and toxic odours which enter their homes and living spaces within hours of the start of the fire within the dump.
“This smoke and odour which takes hours and traps the residents in their homes prolongs for weeks causing respiratory problems, headaches and other illnesses,” Lee said.
Lee said some families are forced to relocate from their homes because of the situation.
The nearby Springvale Hindu school and its 200 students are affected each year, he said.
“I am aware that closure of the site will not be a short term measure.
“However, in the short term I am hoping that the Government of the day will try to implement new legislative measures aimed at effectively managing waste at this site and preventing fires from occurring,” he said.
Minister of Public Utilities Ancil Isaac said the Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) is “currently working on plans to upgrade and convert the Forres Park site to a fully-engineered sanitary landfill according to international standards.”
The design of the new engineered site at Forres Park is scheduled for this fiscal year, he said.