The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A SAFETY assessment of the Pinder’s Point, Lewis Yard, and Hawksbill communities surrounding the nearby industrial plants should be completed in the next ten to 13 weeks, according to Grand Bahama Minister Dr Michael Darville.

Consultants from the Antea Group, Matthew Pronk and Jacob van der Schaaf, were in Grand Bahama for a week conducting their preliminary investigations and meeting with the industrial companies in the Freeport Industrial Park and with residents in the area.

On Friday, Dr Darville said the safety assessment is in keeping with recommendations outlined in a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)/World Health Organisation (WHO) report of an environmental health risk assessment study completed by the group in December 2015.

He said that the Antea Group, an independent private consultant firm in the Netherlands, came highly recommended. The assessment was initially set to commence in November but was postponed following the passage of Hurricane Matthew.

Dr Darville said that Mr Pronk and Mr van der Schaaf conducted investigations, met with industrial leaders, residents and representatives from the Pinder’s Point Lewis Yard Environmental Committee.

“The second recommendation from the PAHO/WHO report presented to us sometime last year has clearly indicated that a safety assessment is essential for us to complete studies in the Hawksbill, Pinder’s Point, and Lewis Yard areas,” he said.

The first of two recommendations was for environmental monitoring, which is already in place, with the installation of an E-nose system in the affected communities and the industrial sector.

“I want to thank the residents of PPLY and remind them that this study will conclude recommendations in a PAHO/WHO report,” he said.

“I wish to reassure residents that as an administration of the government we are committed to ensure we do all in our power to conduct the necessary scientific investigations, and to determine the safety and well-being of the people in that area.

“We would like to also thank the consultants. This is their first visit here and there will be other visits by them in mid-March and a final visit in April, and we expect to have a report that will outline the safety parameters as it relates to residents in PPLY and the surrounding areas,” Dr Darville said.

Mr Pronk said the Antea Group has been in existence for 65 years, with colleagues from Belgium, France, the US, Columbia, and Brazil. Mr van der Schaaf, a chemical engineer, said they have visited Buckeye, PharmaChem, the Grand Bahama Power Generation Plant, Polymers International, Grand Bahama Shipyard, Bahama Rock, and the Freeport Container Port.

“We have collected enough information to make our calculations back in Holland to determine the impact distance, and what is relevant to take into further account. We spoke with residents (on Thursday) and they told us their interests, and we also visited the area last Tuesday to get an impression about the situation because we did not want to rely on written information, we wanted to see for ourselves,” he said.

The Antea Group is an international engineering and environmental consulting firm specialising in full-service solutions in the fields of environment, infrastructure, urban planning, and water.