The Tribune

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller yesterday estimated that it would cost the government nearly $5m to “fix the problems” at the New Providence Landfill and prevent future fires.

Mr Miller told The Tribune that the entire process will be “very expensive but in the end it will be worth it to ensure another disaster does not occur at the landfill.”

He also said an intensive cleanup process will begin in Jubilee Gardens on Saturday and residents will be given cleaning products, paint and washing supplies to return their homes “back to normal.” He said 95 per cent of the residents have returned to the subdivision.

“At the end of the day, it will cost about $5m to get this thing right, to fix the landfill and to do the necessary repairs,” Mr Miller said.

“They have to pay for surveillance to be in place, to build the new roads that need to be built, to build the fences around the property to keep the stragglers out and hopefully after all this money we will get this right.

“The residents also want some type of compensation, a few of them have asked if they have to pay their mortgages this month. I mean obviously we can’t pay everyone’s bills but we will help where we can. What they really want is for the Ministry of the Environment or Health to certify that the air they are breathing is not hazardous and so we are going to get that report as soon as we can. They also want a 10 foot perimeter around the property to ensure that stragglers don’t continue to light fires,” Mr Miller said.

He also told The Tribune that since the government brought in crop duster planes to assist with outing the blaze at the New Providence Landfill, the smoke in Jubilee Gardens has significantly subsided.

“The smoke is almost gone and that is a great thing,” Mr Miller said.

“So we are in a much better shape. We got some stuff from Frank Hanna Cleaning Company to deodorise the homes and (Super Value owner) Rupert Roberts donated dome detergent and fabric softeners. “On Saturday we will have about 50 persons cleaning up and we will make it a community thing. The smoke has dissipated, the fire is arrested and we hope things will be back to normal soon.”

Residents in Jubilee Gardens evacuated their homes on March 5 after a fire at the landfill blanketed the community in thick, black hazardous smoke. Officials have said the fire did not start at the dumpsite, but spread from a nearby area.

However, the city dump has been plagued with recurring fires for a number of years. Renew Bahamas was engaged by the government in 2014 to manage the landfill and help address the matter, however the company ended its services in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew last October.

The government subsequently took over management of the landfill as it looks for another company to remediate the site.