The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A GROUP of concerned residents staged a protest in the Freeport Industrial Park area on Tuesday over the alleged ongoing industrial pollution that they feel affects the nearby communities in which they live.

A coffin was put on display while protestors chanted and held placards along West Sunrise Highway, near Pharma Chem, Buckeye/BORCO, and the Grand Bahama Power Company’s new generation plant.

Due to inclement weather, the protest was slightly delayed but got underway shortly after noon, and several police officers were on standby. Some passing motorists honked their horns in support of the protestors.

Employees at Pharma Chem and BORCO could be seen outside at their respective plants watching the protest as residents called for the government, Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville, and the Grand Bahama Port Authority to “protect the people”.

Some of the signs read: “Government neglecting residents,” “Relocate Residents Now,” and “Stop Reckless Waste Dumping.”

For more than 30 years, the residents of Pinder’s Point, Lewis Yard, Hawksbill, and the surrounding communities, have complained of exposure to strong chemical odours, as well as alleged oil and chemical spills in the area.

They believe that years of exposure have resulted in the deaths of residents in their communities, many of whom have died of cancer. Additionally, they complain of respiratory illnesses, skin, nose and eye irritations.

In 1989, two schools were relocated from the area, and about two years ago, the Lewis Yard Primary School was moved by government to Hunters after teachers and students continued to become ill from ongoing emissions.

The Grand Bahama Environmental Association (Pinder’s Point/Lewis Yard Environmental Committee) led by Chairman Berthram Pinder, said that residents have been taken for granted for too long by government, the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and the industrial plants.

When asked the significance of the coffin, he said: “It is symbolic of all those persons who have died from our communities of cancer and other related diseases. It is just to draw attention to the industrial plants, the government, and the Grand Bahama Port Authority that we as residents have had enough and we want to see results.

“We have been taken for granted, put on the back burner, and they have done nothing over the past 35 years simply because we have been tolerant and passive, and it is now time for us to be a little more vocal and a little more outgoing, and that’s what we intend to do over the next few months, and even the year to come,” Mr Pinder said.

The residents want some sort of settlement for their land and to be relocated from the area. They feel that the issues have not been sufficiently addressed in the past by successive governments, which have been aware of residents’ complaints of living in close proximity to the industrial plants.

In December 2014, the government contracted World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to conduct an environmental and health risk assessment study of the Pinder’s Point/Lewis Yard area. The year-long study ended on November 30, 2015.

The report, which indicated that there is no environmental or health risks to the residents by the industrial companies, has been rejected by the residents.

At Tuesday’s protest, Shuffel Hepburn was very critical of the industrial plants and the government.

The association, Mr Hepburn said, has written to Prime Minister Perry Christie outlining their concerns, but has received no response for more than a month.

They have also written to Buckeye asking for the company’s standard operating procedures.

“They too have not responded; all we want to know is how they plan to protect our people when they have chemical spills, oil spills, and hydrogen sulfide in greater concentrations than legally allowed,” Mr Hepburn said.

He added that people in the affected communities are discouraged.

“This has been going on for so long without any results and some of them have given up, unfortunately, but we are reawakening their energy by their desire to see this problem solved,” he said.

Representatives and security officers at BORCO had placed rubber cones and security officers at its entrance to prevent any possible access to its plant by protestors. Police officers were also stationed at the entrance of the Pharma Chem plant.