Dear Editor,
While standing stranded on the Pondfill road, trying to hitch a ride from Philipsburg to Marigot with sweat running down my face under the hot Caribbean sun, I decided to take my mind off the heat by turning my attention to the beautiful St. Maarten landscape. It was at that moment that I realized Philipsburg is almost completely surrounded by mountains.
I also realized that among the many hills and mountains in the near and far distance, Pic Paradis stands majestically, gracing St. Maarten's skyline with its multiple antenna towers. I could clearly see the lone mansion tucked between the trees on the slope of St. Maarten's highest mountain, and I thought, how beautiful!
However, as my eyes travelled from the top of the mountains to the low-lying outskirts of Philipsburg, I realized that apart from having what is probably the world's fastest growing iguana population, St. Maarten is also home to the fastest growing mountain on Planet Earth. I am referring to Pond Hill, which is located on Pond Island in the middle of what was once St. Maarten's greatest heritage and best known landmark, the Great Salt Pond.
I call the Great Salt Pond St. Maarten's greatest heritage because after sustaining the island's small community for many generations, it was worthy of preserving as physical evidence to future generations of its history and economic contribution to the development of St. Maarten, long before the tourist arrived.
On behalf of the Great Salt Pond, please allow me to quote from the book St. Maarten in sight: "As early as the 17th century, the Great Salt Pond played a significant part in the life line of St. Maarten's economic activities. After the abolition of slavery, until the early 1920s, salt was again the main source of income." So yes, the Great Salt Pond laid the foundations of what St. Maarten is today.
When I first visited St. Maarten in 1981 as a crew member on an Anguillan vessel named Ida Maria and feeling a bit like Columbus on his own Santa Maria, I was astonished by the uniqueness of this small Caribbean island. Its two-nation status, the huge size and beauty of Simpson Bay Lagoon, and yes, the Great Salt Pond, were all things I never had experienced before.
My love affair with nature would draw me to the shores of the Great Salt Pond, spending hours just admiring the many varieties of birds feeding and swimming in her large body of water, as she relaxed in retirement from her salt-producing era.
But then came the need for a local University, a big white elephant, a Bacchanal Village, and a new location for garbage disposal. So the great old Salt Pond was called out of retirement to bear the burden, but now she is overwhelmed by the capacity of all that she is being forced to accommodate. To further minimize her, they decided to put a strangling ring (ring road) around her neck, adding more sand where the salt hurts. How cruel!
Now back to her worst nightmare. In my many years travelling to over 35 countries in the Caribbean, the Americas and the Pacific, I have never come across another civilization where garbage is being collected from the various communities and taken into the city for disposal. I have always seen the opposite, with the French side being a perfect example.
I guess being the smallest two-nation island in the world was not unique enough, so that status had to be enhanced by creating what is probably the only "city garbage dump" in the world. However, the downside to this uniqueness is that it may carry with it serious consequences.
To better understand these possible consequences, we must take a closer look at Pond Hill. As more and more garbage is being dumped on the "Hill" it gets higher and higher. The higher the "Hill" gets, the less space there will be at the crest for the safe maneuvering of garbage disposal vehicles.
This situation will then be remedied by pushing garbage over the sides of the hill to expand its base. After a few years, when the "hill" grows to a new height and the crest again gets too small for maneuvering, the expansion process will be repeated. This procedure will continue until the stinking garbage reaches the residential and business areas on all sides of Pond Hill.
Not only will this result in the complete elimination of the Great Salt Pond, but Pond Hill, which by then will have grown into Pond Mountain, will become a serious health hazard, thus the consequences of creating the unique "city garbage dump".
On top of the pending health issues, I feel terribly sorry for poor old Pic Paradis, which enjoyed the prestigious title of being St. Maarten's highest mountain long before the first Amerindian set foot on the island, and way before Columbus arrived.
Now, with tears running down her slopes, she is pleading with the appropriate authorities to please protect her image by halting the growth of Pond Hill, because at the present rate, it will not be long before Pond Hill turns into Pond Mountain with the possibility of snatching away her "tallest mountain" title and, in the process, becoming an undesirable city landmark. Don't allow Philipsburg and its multimillion-dollar tourism investment to go down the drain because of a lack of action.
Failure to tackle the situation now will result in a lot of regrets later on, because garbage breeds pollution, pollution breeds disease, disease breeds sickness, sickness breeds suffering, hefty medical bills and even death.
And by the way, the soon-to-be occupants of the big white elephant will be among the first recipients of whatever Pond Hill has to offer.
Oops! I am sorry. I forgot that as a non-original son of the soil, I have absolutely no business interfering in your business. But when I think of the potential health hazards and monumental eyesore, I just could not keep my mouth shut, or should I say, I just could not keep my pen down. So forgive me, but please consider what was written by my tireless pen before it is too late. Remember, prevention is better than cure.
DJ Murph
