By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE fires at the New Providence Landfill are completely out, Deputy Director of Environmental Services Thomasina Wilson confirmed yesterday.
The news comes three weeks after the first of two major fires erupted at the site, causing some residents in the nearby area to evacuate as calls were renewed for the city dump to be remediated.
“Everything is out, completely extinguished; all the smoke gone so no more smouldering,” Mrs Wilson said.
She also thanked the staff of the Fire and Environmental Services departments for their work and offered particular thanks to the head of the fire fighting team Darron Davis and the head of the equipment team, Trevor Higgs.
On Tuesday, Environment and Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett told the press that remediation of the New Providence landfill will start before the end of this fiscal year when the private company Renew Bahamas will perform services that are expected to help end many long-standing issues with the city dump.
Comments
carlh57 10 years ago
haha...yeah they are out due to recent rains.....so we'll wait another three days for another fire to start up....count down to more smoke, pollution, poisoning, school closing, etc.....
carlh57 10 years ago
Ms. Wilson, here is a thoroughly researched report from Waste Management Worldwide (leading landfill management company in world!) regarding landfill fires. To say, in prior messages that there is no "harm" to residents from these fires is irresponsible, uninformed and opens the government to law suits. The follow is a quote from the recent report from WMW. "Atmospheric emissions from landfill fires are often dismissed as a nuisance. The following are two examples of just how serious the ‘nuisance’ is: Dioxin emissions: (remember the Bhopal disasterr?) The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) considers that for the foreseeable future, non-industrial, uncontrolled combustion, mainly comprised of landfill fires and illegal barrel burning, will remain the most significant source of persistant organic pollutants (POPs) in the form of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCCDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCCFs) in Europe (Thornton, 2002). Gases and Vapors: landfill fires emit a toxic cocktail of ‘Most Wanted’ fugitive gases including formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen oxides and many others (OEPA, 2006). Visible smoke might not be visible since compacted waste acts as a good particulate filter, but fugitive gases are able to percolate towards the surface. Emitted smoke is a hazard and has resulted in the imposition of Civil Aviation Authority ‘no-fly’ zones. A particular problem with smoke, which is largely unburned carbon, is particles that have become activated, in the form of an adsorbent, with a huge appetite for mopping-up ‘most wanted’ contaminants. Very small particles, known as Sub PM2.5s (smaller than 2.5 millionths of a meter in diameter) are capable of remaining airborne for days, and together with adsorbed contaminants will pass directly into the bloodstream once inhaled."
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