Few will argue with the decision to demolish the former Prins Willem-Alexander School that was abandoned a few years ago after asbestos was discovered in certain parts of the complex (see Thursday
paper). Sometimes it is possible just to remove and replace, say, an affected roof rather than tear down the entire building, but such matters are obviously best left up to experts.
To be sure, there was never any reason to panic, because the reality is that asbestos can still be found in many structures throughout the region. It was mentioned that children reportedly still played at the school in St. Peters, but the risk is actually greatest when the materials containing the potentially harmful substance burn in a fire or break, for example, due to lack of maintenance or storm damage, because that’s when the cancerous fibre thread particles are released.
For that same reason, this kind of demolition is an extremely specialised job based on strict protocols that include the wearing of protective suits by workers, so the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour no doubt will become involved. If the necessary knowledge and other means aren’t readily available they may be sought within the Dutch Caribbean, because similar work was done recently on all three ABC-islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao).
The debris also can’t just be buried at a landfill. Extraordinary measures are required to dispose safely of waste that possibly contains asbestos.
Speaking of the local dump, it started burning again Wednesday night. Infrastructure and Environment Minister Angel Meyers said earlier he’d requested Government accountant SOAB to review the terms of reference to manage the garbage facility and outline steps in case of a fire or other emergency.
That’s great, but could take a while. In the meantime, there must be some immediate measures that can be implemented to improve the situation at least a bit.
The contractors working there on a daily basis probably aren’t happy with the current state of affairs either and have the experience to know firsthand how best to tackle this recurring and annoying problem right away.
