The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS in areas surrounding the New Providence landfill yesterday are angry that the government has failed to resolve the many fires that have plagued the dumpsite.

They spoke to The Tribune as smoke continued to billow from the site on Harrold Road, cloaking communities in the area.

It started shortly before 11pm on Saturday and officials said although the fire has been contained, smoke will continuously emanate from the site for the next few days.

This is exactly what the residents of Avocado Gardens, near Fire Trail Road, said has caused them great discomfort over the years. They estimate that they combat fires at the dump at least six or seven times a year.

Anthony Whylly said for the past 24 years both he and his wife have been the victims of respiratory issues because of the smoke that often causes low visibility in the area.

He said he was “very disappointed” that successive administrations have failed on their promises to handle the matter.

“It affects my and my wife’s health,” he said. “Sometimes it is hard to breathe and then you have to close down the windows and turn on the air condition. But when you do that, it’s just like you are breathing in the air from outside. So there is coughing and that gives us very terrible respiratory problems.

“At one point on Sunday, I thought it was going to storm because the sky was so dark with smoke. Then when night came it was just putrid. You could smell everything coming up.

“I said to myself, how long are we going to have to take this, because it is just madness.”

Francis Bowe and her husband have lived in the area since 1960. When speaking with The Tribune yesterday, she said her eyesight had been affected by the smoke. She suggested that the government seriously consider transporting the waste held at the landfill from over populated New Providence to an uninhabited island or cay.

Ms Bowe said: “We was experiencing all kinds of smoke and everything. All yesterday morning I was sneezing and by the time I wake up this morning my eyes were red and stick down. I couldn’t even open them up.

“This happens too much. The government needs to move this dump. Carry it someplace where there are no residents and no people around.”

Lancelot Bennons agreed that the dump has been too problematic for residents over the years and that it needed to be moved to a less populated area.

Another resident, Baron Deal, who has lived in Sunset Park for seven months, agreed that the dump needed to be relocated. Mr Deal said he and his wife experienced headaches since early Sunday morning.

Yesterday, Renew Bahamas, the solid waste management company responsible for operating and managing the city’s landfill, in a press statement said the remaining flames were rapidly being extinguished.

“As such, focus is now transferring to address the smoke emanating from the site, using a combination of heavy-duty equipment and a specialist pump to combat the problem across the site,” the statement read.

It added: “Residents in the surrounding communities can expect the site to continue to smoke for the several days.”

According to Renew Bahamas, a fire started shortly before 11 pm Saturday, on the northern side of the property, which the company is continuing to tackle. Shortly after, another fire started up in a completely separate part of the site, which has now been fully extinguished, the company said.

“Based on evidence of various attempted burn sites, the company believes these incidents represent a concentrated arson attack on the site and facilities. The company will continue to pursue its investigations in conjunction with government officials to try and identify the culprits involved.”

Renew Bahamas said despite the fires, daily operations at the landfill site continue as normal.