It would appear almost amusing if it weren’t so sad. St. Maarten Nature Foundation announced in Monday’s paper that it would hand out 100 free facemasks for particularly people downwind to protect themselves against the potentially hazardous fumes coming from the landfill fire.
They encouraged especially expectant mothers and those with a weakened immune system to wear them, “as we still wait for action to occur regarding the management of solid waste issues.” With the dump regularly burning for more than a month now, the health effects for residents and visitors alike are said to be significant.
The smoke and ashes can contain various harmful substances. A survey showed that all districts are impacted, while many persons experienced negative physical consequences.
On December 13 caretaker Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning. Environment and Infrastructure Christophe Emmanuel said the long-awaited waste-to-energy plant could become a reality in 18 months once the concession was approved by the Council of Ministers and all signatures of GEBE’s Supervisory Board were obtained for a related power-purchase agreement. The former has meanwhile been done and the decree is on the Governor’s desk for his signature, he stated in the January 3 congress of his National Alliance (NA) party.
Regarding GEBE, however, it’s a different story. Emmanuel claimed that the power-purchase agreement had been with the Government-owned utilities provider’s board for three months awaiting four signatures, but had been signed by only two members.
This led to a reaction from former board chairman and current member Roy Marlin, who said the Minister had turned down a request for a letter of no objection so GEBE could purchase a parcel of land at Porto Cupecoy to construct a 4,000-cubic-metre water tank right next to the production plant. In a letter to the editor titled “Tell us why, Minister” he contended that this refusal would cost the company an additional two million Antillean guilders for pipes to comply with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams subsequently questioned why individual board members would need to sign, as such decisions are normally taken collectively based on a majority vote. She also wondered whether this responsibility does not lie with management and what it had advised.
The conclusion is that a waste-to-energy plant as envisioned most likely won’t be operational any time soon. That and other aspects to tackle the ever-growing garbage issue, like proper separation and recycling, are obviously best addressed in an integrated manner too.
It therefore seems sensible to consider including a comprehensive solution to the problem as part of the investment projects to be financed with hurricane recovery funds from the Dutch Government. Good use could thereby be made of ample experience the Netherlands has in this area; for example, with the Rijnmond waste processing facility.
This way there is a better chance of finally getting it done.
