For 75-year-old Janet Smith, the closing of the Le Repentir dump means the end of years of “suffering.”
“We suffered a long time from it (the landfill). I live here since 1945 and since they open it was a problem and a health problem,” the Princes Street resident said. “This used to be a wonderful place.”
The dump was closed on Tuesday, when the Haags Bosch landfill was officially opened. It was in operation for 17 years although it was initially projected to have a two-year lifespan. “It is very, very good that they close that thing because we were terribly affected,” Smith said. However, she added that she would like to see the area cleaned, since it has been overgrown with vegetation. “All we want is for them to cut the bush down. They draw mosquitoes and flies,” she explained.
Living opposite a trench that was covered in wild vegetation and stagnant water, Smith recalled when she was a child and the trench water was “nice black water” that flowed from the Lamaha Canal. “We used to bathe in it and wash and do everything with that black water because it was running,” she said. While Smith does not believe the area can be restored to its former glory, she said, “We want it to be better than what it is.”
Nalini Cassius, like other North East La Penitence residents, shared Smith’s relief at the closure of the dump. “I appreciate that they close it,” she said.
Savage Street resident Sister Sukhnandan, however, wanted to know how much longer her family will have to endure the foul air. “We happy that it close but it still smelling bad up to now. We hope it stop,” she said, while adding that yesterday morning she could not stay in her house because the smell had become overbearing. “I live here 36 years. I would thank God if they could clean out all them bushes this here,” she added.
While there will be no more dumping at the site, residents will have to endure its stench for six more months.
According to Hubert Urling, the Director of the Solid Waste Management Department within the Mayor and City Council, “the closure plan as far as the project is going was slated for six months.’ He added, “The project was going to make an approach to the IDB for the closure of the landfill, removing the waste that is on the roadways, [and] capping cells two and three.
The ministry will be assisting the municipality with some resources in the litter clean up….”
Urling was speaking at a press briefing at City Hall held on Wednesday to discuss the closure of the site.
Higher fees
The briefing was called by Mayor Hamilton Green, who revealed that the municipality may have to pay increased collection fees to contractors. The Mayor said that he has received complaints from the two garbage collectors that turnaround time from Haags Bosch is too long. “The two contractors who move the garbage from domestic and industrial areas to the site indicated that their fees will be increased by a particular sum, which they made known to us and which was reduced as result of a meeting held on Saturday afternoon…. So, we have reached a sort of compromise with the contractors…for a two month period,” said Green.
He added that the cash-strapped Council is still to receive “comfort” from the government about the additional cost.
He pointed out that there was talk of a tipping fee and an additional fee from each household as a means of reducing the financial stress on the municipality. However, it was announced by the Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall at the opening of the new landfill that a tipping fee will not be charged.
Meanwhile, addressing the Le Repentir closure, Green expressed his “delight that we can now close a facility which ought to have been closed years ago and which has created [a lot] of pains, stress and distress not only for the Council itself but for the residents….” He also urged citizens to desist from littering the city.
