Residents of Port Kaituma are calling for a complete halt to the pumping of fuel or an alternative system to be put in place at the Turn Basin where a devastating fire destroyed boats and buildings on Friday. The fire was caused by the explosion of a fuel trawler because of a defective pump.
According to resident Richard Allen, there are approximately 200 families living up the Turn Basin,
all of whom are affected by the high levels of oil pollution in the river which they use for household chores and personal hygiene.
He said that in March, 2013, some 529 people were infected with gastroenteritis, many of whom lived in the Turn Basin area and he felt that the infection could have been a result of the pollution of the river water. Garbage is dumped in the river mainly by persons working on the oil boats, and the water is also contaminated by oil spills.
He said that at present fuel boats use gas pumps to pump fuel and he recommended the use of electrical/vacuum pumps as an alternative. Electrical and vacuum pumps are the safest for the purposes of pumping fuel, he explained, and would reduce pollution as well as the likelihood of fires.
Friday’s fire at the Turn Basin caused millions of dollars in losses.
A 17-year-old boy, who was pumping fuel at the time the explosion occurred was badly burnt and is a patient at the Port Kaituma Hospital. According to sources, the boy’s family are making arrangements to have him transported to the Georgetown Public hospital. However, he is said to be slowly recovering.
“I went to Turn Basin and saw persons on two boats pumping fuel. I had to call the police and have them removed,” Allen said yesterday.
Allen said he was taken aback by the actions of the boat owners. It was only a day ago that oil pumping on the boats had caused a severe fire and had injured a young boy.
Fuel boats arrive with hundreds of barrels of fuel in Port Kaituma at least three time per week to supply fuel to the many dredge owners who operate in Port Kaituma’ s back dam, among other places.
Meanwhile, this newspaper was reliably informed that investigations into the fire have been completed and the information has been sent to the fire service in Georgetown.
