The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered that the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) biomethanation plant cease operation after complaints by residents of wastewater from the plant constantly invading their yards and the roadways.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, head of the EPA Dr Vincent Adams said that he was told about the issues several days ago and subsequently sent officers to investigate. After the investigation, they verified that there were violations of safe environmental practices as waste was leaking and running through areas where persons live.
Adams said that he immediately issued a letter directing that the company cease operation of the plant until they could determine a path forward to correct the situation.
He said that based on what he has seen, it is a clear violation with regards to residents’ health and the environment and that will not be tolerated by the agency, hence the order to shut down the plant.
“Inasmuch as the EPA encourages business development, we will not allow business interests to [have] a higher priority than people’s health and the environment,” Adams said.
However, according to DDL’s public relations representative Alex Graham, the issue was caused by an extremely high tide on Monday that caused flooding where the residents live, in the DDL compound and on the public road.
He said that when the water began to recede, it carried some of the treated wastewater onto the area where the residents live.
Graham said that the residents complained to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), which subsequently called in the EPA. He said that DDL was not aware of the EPA’s involvement until they were called to a meeting with them on Saturday. The meeting was between the EPA, the NDC and three residents.
He said that the cease order was handed over at a public meeting and the company’s representative was surprised that the EPA chose a public meeting to deliver the order.
“The order from the EPA relates to our biomethanation plant on the western side of the public road where we do the treating of wastewater,” he said, while noting that they always comply with any order and if they believe it is unfair, they will contest it.
However, in this case, he said they have complied and are working to resolve the situation. He said the team is right now focused on taking specific remedial actions and in rolling out their response, they are hoping to have an early meeting with the EPA to discuss their approach to remedial action.
Stabroek News visited the village of Great Diamond where the biogas plant is located several yards from where scores of residents live.
The pungent smell of the waste and the gas was still lingering in the air, despite the plant being shut down, and according to the residents, it is much worse when the plant is in operation.
Speaking to this newspaper, Kurt Elliot, who has been living in the area for more than a decade and lives opposite the plant, some 100 feet away, said, “We have a problem with the three biogas tanks that they have behind there. The smell when the gas is coming out sometimes wakes you up in the middle of the night when you’re sleeping with your chest burning. People have to be running to the hospital steady.”
Elliot said that a few days ago, the situation was so bad that wastewater was flooding persons’ yards and even the road which small children and others have to trod through, sometimes even barefoot.
Another resident, Michael Thomas, who has also been living in the area for decades, related that the problem started since DDL built the biogas plant.
“When we come and live here, nearly nine years before the plant, we didn’t have those issues. It is not fit for us to live here and we have been living here first. If they knew they had a plant doing that then they should’ve never let we live here… that thing is supposed to be over 500 yards from people. I had to move my grandchild because of what was happening,” Thomas said.
He related that the waste has been polluting the area for years and the tanks have been leaking since they began operation.
“They know it’s leaking when they built it and that is what is killing we. They are using human faeces, cow dung, pig [dung] and all of that we have to smell and it wakes you up in the night. I living here 24 years and it only stopped because one of the residents called in EPA about three days ago,” Thomas related.
Elliot also related that some two years ago, he brought a supervisor from the company to his home to check on what was happening behind him and was told that DDL would “look after it” but nothing happened since then.
“They have two houses that are very close to the tank and it’s very dangerous and it hurts seeing these things because these houses build before these tanks even dream to come and the government took money for these lands so it’s not like we are squatters. We pay our rates and taxes,” Thomas explained, while pointing out that the two houses closest to the tanks feel the brunt of the effects resulting from the runoff of the wastewater as the yards would normally be flooded.
Thomas added that the children in the area would have to be rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre frequently as they would have breakouts on their skins often.
It has been a recurring and seemingly unchangeable situation over the years, and the residents yesterday expressed their gratitude to the EPA for finally taking some action.
“We feel good that the EPA finally come. All these years and they never said anything. Now they [DDL] got men working overtime to patch it up but we don’t want any patch up thing. We want it to stop completely or for them to buy us out and let the government find house lots for us to move out. We don’t want patch up because we will still get the smoke and will still be inhaling the hazardous gas. We will still be in problems,” Thomas related.
Other residents echoed similar sentiments and said that it’s either they are moved or the plant does not resume working as it will still significantly affect their livelihoods, health and the immediate environment.
