Even as use of the Mandela Landfill as a means of disposing of waste gradually comes to an end, residents in the area were yesterday forced to endure the effects of yet another fire.
Residents in the area told Stabroek News that they observed the landfill shrouded in smoke around 2 am yesterday while some stated that they woke up yesterday and were greeted by acrid smells emanating from the site.
A shopkeeper living on Savage Street, North East La Penitence told this newspaper that when he woke up around 6 am yesterday he observed a huge fire blazing in the vicinity of the landfill site. He said around this time, his neighbours had already closed their homes to escape from the effects of thick smoke which blanketed the area. The man related that he was forced to close the doors to his shop as it also affected children living in his home.
Another resident related that she was forced to miss church yesterday since according to her, “the smoke was too much”. She stated that this most recent fire as well as previous ones were “so frequent” that she and her family members have become “immune” to their effects.
Most homes situated in close proximity to the landfill, those within North East La Penitence in particular, remained closed yesterday. Stabroek News made several efforts yesterday to obtain a comment from Public Relations Officer of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), Royston King but those attempts were in vain. This newspaper understands that workers attached to the Solid Waste Management Unit of the M&CC were working towards extinguishing the fire yesterday.
According to reports yesterday’s fire started close to the first entrance to the dumpsite along Vlissengen Road and then spread to other sections of the area. An eyewitness told Stabroek News that members of the Guyana Fire Service were later informed of the fire and arrived at the scene at daybreak. It is unclear what impact the fire service response to the blaze had as it continued to burn around lunchtime yesterday.
Fires at the dumpsite have given the authorities a number of headaches even as work continues on the much anticipated Haag Bosch solid waste disposal facility behind Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara. The new facility, which is situated some 2.5 km behind the Eccles Industrial Estate in the vicinity of the cane fields, is scheduled for completion during the second quarter this year.
