-despite company’s denial
Region 7 Chairman Gordon Bradford has made public his conviction that employees of Countrywide Disposal Service (CDS) intended to dump sewage from their trucks along roads, footpaths, and near populated areas in Bartica, while the company’s proprietor maintains that the dumping was only done to free a truck that had gotten stuck in sand.
The Bartica Development Action Group (BDAG), in a press release, had stated that CDS, a waste management firm contracted to empty septic tanks into their disposal trucks, had been discarding the contents of the trucks onto the parapet of the Bartica Potaro Road, a mere 20 feet from the road itself. The release also stated that the trucks were dumping the sewage in the centre of a footpath used by Bartica Hospital staff to dispose of various waste materials, in front of the Bartica Airstrip and also into a creek.
Bradford told Stabroek News yesterday that he was the one who received the report from a concerned citizen of Bartica on Saturday October 20. He stated upon receiving this information, he immediately traveled to the area and witnessed the effluent for himself.
Bradford further stated that he immediately called the Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) Derick Persaud, who told him that he was unaware of the situation, and that he had not granted anyone permission to dump in these places. He said that he then called the Interim Management Committee (IMC) Chairman Ovid Benjamin, who also stated that he never gave anyone permission to dump in the locations. Bradford said that he asked the DREO to cease all operations of this nature with immediate effect and convene a meeting on Monday, October 22, with the Regional Health Officer (RHO), the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) and the IMC chairman to discuss the issue.
At the meeting, Bradford said that the company did admit that on Saturday one of the company trucks became stuck as it was navigating a very sandy path.
According to Trevor Clarke, proprietor of the company, the driver and porters of that truck, unknowingly to management, and in an effort to make it lighter, proceeded to dispose of some of the sewage into the surrounding area. Clarke also confirmed that the IMC never gave permission to dump and apologised for the mistake.
Bradford claims that based on the location the truck was allegedly stuck, he believes that the truck had intended to dump its cargo in the places identified.
He stated that in the meeting it was decided that “though residents of Bartica welcome the service, it should be done in adherence with the laws.” As a result, all operations have been halted, and there are plans to engage the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the relevant authorities to seek advice on where dumping of such materials should be done.
In its statement, the BDAG noted that the dumping was raised during a meeting with the IMC and the Public Health Inspector, and the latter disclosed that a representative from the company had made contact with her several months ago and had proposed the village of Agatash as a dump site. She stated that the proposal was immediately rejected and that no subsequent discussions were held until after the company had commenced operations in Bartica. The BDAG release went on to state that upon inquiry, the manager for the company claimed to have received permission to collect and dispose of the fecal matter in these exact locations from the IMC.
Clarke, however, had said that the allegations being made by the BDAG were not true, noting that permission was never granted for dumping in Bartica, nor was there any intention on the part of his company to dump in any of the locations. He stated that all trucks operating in Bartica were instructed to return to Georgetown where they would offload the contents of the tanks in the Guyana Water Incorporated- approved facility.
He had also announced his company’s decision to suspend all operations in Bartica until a suitable dumping location is selected in Bartica. He explained that because of the distance and the mode of transportation required, transferring the trucks’ cargo back to the city for offloading was a painstaking task. However, he said that the company had been willing to undertake the effort because “the people really seemed to be happy about us providing the service”.
