FORMER Minister of the Environment and Housing Kenred Dorsett.
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Deputy Chief Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett denied accusations yesterday that the former government sought to “suppress” a damning report from the Pan American Health Organisation, which classified the New Providence Landfill as an “urgent public health hazard” presenting a “chronic health risk” to residents.
Speaking to The Tribune, Mr Dorsett said the report was emailed to him at the height of the 2017 general election season, a period in which he said he was not in office. As a result, he insisted that he did not see the report until after the Progressive Liberal Party suffered a brutal loss at the polls to the Free National Movement.
The former Cabinet minister said it was “nonsense” for anyone to claim that the defeated government had attempted to hide the report, adding that it was that administration that had asked PAHO to conduct an investigation in the wake of a March 5 fire at the landfill.
Mr Dorsett said the report didn’t reveal anything new and it was now up to the Minnis administration to act on the chronic landfill problems.
The report, submitted at the end of April to the former Christie administration from PAHO/World Health Organisation (WHO), called for several short-term “interventions” to be used until long-term sustainable plans could be identified by the government.
Mr Dorsett spoke at the request of The Tribune shortly after a press statement was released by Picewell Forbes, shadow minister for the environment and North Andros MP, addressing the matter.
That statement sought to drive home a message that the former minister with responsibility for the landfill was not asleep at the wheel on this challenge.
“It is a report requested by the former administration and the public was advised in early April that the report was being prepared,” the statement from Mr Forbes noted. “As governments are continuous it is the obligation of the current administration to release it and they have done that.
“The site has major challenges, which were acknowledged by the former administration and the request for proposal advanced by the PLP administration addressed all of the hazards and charted a path for remediation of the landfill, deconstruction, new engineered cells, a materials recycling facility, proper processing of all waste streams, the construction of a water feature between the landfill, Jubilee and Victoria Gardens, air and water quality monitoring technologies, gas extraction technologies and the use of solar membranes to cover historic cells no longer in use to generate clean renewable energy.”
The statement continued: “That process identified a preferred bidder being the Bahamas consortium represented by the Bahamian financial group, Providence Advisors.
“We trust that the new administration will enter into negotiations with the preferred bidder and allow the remediation and operation plan prepared by the Bahamian engineering firm Caribbean Coastal Systems, led by Carlos Palacious and its international consultant Dr Tarek Abichou and approved by the Department of Environmental Health Services to be advanced. Significant work has been done, there is no need to stop or cancel that process, duplicate efforts or waste time or money.
“Governments are continuous, the plan is laid out and the new government should not deprive the Bahamian group from being able to negotiate terms with the government to enable them to solve this long standing issue in the best of interests of the Bahamian people.”
The landfill report said the “partially controlled nature” of the site has only pushed conditions closer toward biological threats.
The report read: “Considering that the landfill related exposure to hazardous substances could result in adverse health effects both, in-site and out-site, the authors of this report consider that the landfill is an urgent public health hazard.”
It continued: “Therefore, interventions to stop people from being exposed are needed in the short-term.”
The report noted that “at least seven” waste sources were identified at the landfill: municipal or urban solid waste; cruise ship waste; green waste; medical waste; marine litter; e-waste and hazardous waste.
Citing concerns that ranged from surveillance of human health to emergency response and community engagement, the report which was made public by the new Minnis administration last week noted contaminants from varying waste sources had already grown to alarming levels and needed immediate attention.
As a result of that March 5 fire, residents in Jubilee Gardens and surrounding areas were forced to evacuate their homes after the community was blanketed by thick, black hazardous smoke.
PAHO officials in their report raised concerns primarily over air quality; particles in dust before, during and after the March 5 fire; affects on the soil in the area in and around the landfill and quality of water sources in direct proximity.
Of water sources, the report noted that freshwater resources in the country are “finite and vulnerable,” remarking that the ground water is “vulnerable to contamination from surface sources such as the landfill.”
The report raised specific concern for residents in communities near the landfill using well water.
Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands and Minister of Environment and Housing Romauld Ferreira have outlined short and long-term plans for the landfill in the wake of the report.
Comments
TheMadHatter 7 years, 6 months ago
Why do people point fingers at the PLP? They had the dump under control in the exact same manner that the FNM now does.
The FNM will follow their example.
TheMadHatter
proudloudandfnm 7 years, 6 months ago
Well shit. They hid the Marathon report...
Why would anyone believe this crap Dorsette is spewing?!?
sheeprunner12 7 years, 6 months ago
Dorsett was a crooked rookie PLP Minister ....... his balls will be squeezed
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 6 months ago
Let the story of the 5000's and 10,000's be told.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
How convenient for this crooked SOB to say: "I was too busy campaigning and therefore had to drop all of my duties as a cabinet minister at the time, including checking my official mail." Who does this lying fat headed buffoon think he's fooling?! All of us know full well he deliberately suppressed releasing the report to the public because he knew just how damaging it would be to him and his other corrupt PLP cronies in the run up to the recent general election.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 6 months ago
His statement does seem quite silly, I'm sure no one told him his office work stops so he can go campaigning.
TalRussell 7 years, 6 months ago
Comrades! According to media reports the Red Shirts regime have time to continue to fund National Intelligence [the same intelligence agency that opposed being funding without the proper legislation -whilst in opposition] - but no time to stop the dump fires? [You cannot makes this up].
themessenger 7 years, 6 months ago
Tal, I see you still in full deflection mode like ya boy Bradley, ain dis da same Kenred Dorsett who help Brave throw Renward undda da bus for da LOI??? Y'all need to take a shot or two of sumptin good instead of sniffing dump fumes.
TalRussell 7 years, 6 months ago
Comrade The Messenger, don't you wish the Red Shirts cabinet, weren't in full campaign promises 'deflection' mode? [You can't make this up]. Is ther just one promise they have kept?
themessenger 7 years, 6 months ago
Give em time Tal, y'all had five years doing fa more and you can't even give Minnis dem five weeks??? Go sit small and suck a lollipop fa couple minutes.
TalRussell 7 years, 6 months ago
Comrade TheMessenger, even the former PLP's PM will admit [in private] that he #ucked-up - but should the Red Shirts be jumping on the #uckin-up wagon - and so quickly? I guess those of us who took the time to study the Speech from the Throne - saw this coming - even if not within but mere days of their governing mandate.
licks2 7 years, 6 months ago
Why do any of you answer tal. . . the reasoning skill is not there. . .
Tarzan 7 years, 6 months ago
That campaign mode was going for the full five years of the Christie Administration. It prevented release of the report on BAMSI; Chinese sale of Baha Mar; Marathon Oil Spill; Serial oil spills at Clifton and the nature of the insider deal on who sells the bunker crude at inflated prices; why the numbers referendum as ignored; and myriad other matters that would have been addressed if only "campaign mode" was not in full swing.
Porcupine 7 years, 6 months ago
While we are all sitting at our computers, distracted from doing a fuccing thing, these clowns are laughing at us while we breath in their toxic breaths. Every one of these clowns should be driven out of the country. Picewell Forbes is in office because the PLP bought his votes, with cash. Fact. Some democracy......................
baldbeardedbahamian 7 years, 6 months ago
WHAT NAME DOES FWEDDY USE WHEN HE POSTS ON THIS SITE, ANYONE KNOW APART FROM NIA?
asiseeit 7 years, 6 months ago
Couple questions for Dorsett. 1- RENEW? 2-How does a sitting minister own a waste removal company? 3-Who got the contracts for the dump fires and to what amount?
SP 7 years, 6 months ago
FORMER Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett the fat doughboy was, is and always will be a useless sack of pig dung.
Dorsett went in broke the first time and came out with millions after 5 short years.
We need to have an immediate review Dorsetts' natural resources sovereign wealth proposal as it was drafted to benefit a select few of specific pirates.
Dorsett is a classic example of massive corruption and there needs to be a forensic audit of everything he touched.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 6 months ago
Minnis has begun to unmask all of the former PLP Cabinet Ministers ........... all former 2012-17 MPs were ordered to present audited accounts of their assets/liabilities within THREE weeks ......... Their balls will be squeezed ........... The State has power to control crooks (and Minnis will use it) ............. Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!
spoitier 7 years, 6 months ago
The PLP lost deservingly so, however, not a government on this planet would've release that information so close to an election. That might sound sad but it would've been political suicide to do so. Now the question I have is why would someone in the present government ask for that information during election time, knowing that the information could not have been good.
Required 7 years, 6 months ago
Fact: a paper copy was received by the Ministry's senior under-secretary on April 28. Mr. Dorsett's excuse is irrelevant for the point of whether or not the report was suppressed. It was - by the Ministry he was in charge of. If and when the report reached Mr. Dorsett is interesting though, not because of the report, but because it begs two further questions to be asked: Did Mr. Dorsett run his Ministry competently? Was Mr. Dorsett doing the job for which our taxpayer dollars were paying him, or was he instead campaigning for his party while on the peoples' dime?
sheeprunner12 7 years, 6 months ago
Did Ministers report to their Offices after the House was dissolved?????? We know Fitzgerald was busy re-naming schools ....... but did they work????
Required 7 years, 6 months ago
The Executive doesn't (maybe I should say "shouldn't") evaporate into thin air when Parliament is dissolved... They certainly seem to have continued signing contracts until the last minute.
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