The fire and smoking at the Princes Street dump site is “more or less under control,” the city’s Director of Solid Waste Hubert Urling said yesterday.
But although the dump was not smoking yesterday when Stabroek News visited the site shortly after noon, Urling said that equipment was still at work on the western face of the landfill so as to ensure “that everything is under control.”
The Director says that workers will also return today to continue with the soaking.
Fire service workers who were on location at the site also said that the problem seemed to be under control.
When Stabroek News visited the site shortly after midday the fire service pump had just stopped operating and was on “a rest.” The technique used is to have the excavators turn up the refuse and water is later sprayed on it.
Since May the fires started making life for persons in the dump’s vicinity miserable.
Repeated reports in this newspaper and other media were followed by the issuing of a joint release from the Guyana Human Rights Association and the Guyana Citizens’ Initiative who stated that the situation at the dump had the makings of a major catastrophe.
Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall called a meeting of all stakeholders including City Mayor Hamilton Green, the Deputy Mayor, the Minister of Public Works and the Solid Waste Director. After the meeting a press conference was called by Lall to say that he had instructed that city hall mobilize all equipment to immediately deal with the problem at the dump.
