Latest update February 14th, 2025 8:22 AM
Landfill Site stench continues to torment residents
While the procurement process to purchase a compactor to effectively seal waste is ongoing, residents living in close proximity to the Haags Bosch Landfill Site at Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara, continue to be bothered by the foul smell.
In June, at a public consultation, residents of Eccles and neighbouring East Bank Demerara communities complained about the stench emanating from the landfill site. The Housing Ministry encumbering the landfill site’s buffer zone for housing development was also addressed. It was this housing initiative that allowed persons to
The deplorable entrance road to the Haags Bosch Landfill Site
live so closely to the Landfill Site.
Junior Minister of Local Government Norman Whittaker in a subsequent interview with this publication said he was told that even with the reduction in Haags Bosch Landfill Site’s buffer zone, the facility could operate efficiently once operators focus primarily on compaction and cover. As recommended by the Inter-American Development Bank, the Ministry needs to acquire a specialized compactor.
He had also stated that for the past months, technical personnel have been monitoring the operations of the site from Monday to Friday and sometimes on Saturdays, significantly reducing the stench.
Whittaker, responding to a recent query on the status of the compactor, said, “In the absence of the Compactor, a D9 Bulldozer is being used and daily cover is ensured by way of wood chips, draining cleanings etc.”
He said, “We still receive some complaints of stench, moreso, when it rains continuously.”
When this publication visited the area yesterday, residents gave mixed reactions to the stench. According to a resident, at different times during the day, perhaps depending on the direction of the wind, the scent of old moldy garbage fills her house and this gets stronger at nights.
She opined that another contributing factor for the stench is the waste dumped in heaps that lines the shoulders of the scheme’s main road, which is also the access road to the Landfill Site. The woman lamented the deplorable state of the scheme’s entrance road and questioned why the road was not built to accommodate heavy-duty vehicles.
“They should really maintain this road. Must be because the road bad, people ain’t driving far in to empty their garbage. They just throwing everything, even building materials. I see someone living right here put their garbage in a black bag and throw it in the bushes,” she added.
One of the heaps lining the shoulder of the road
According to the woman, when she was allotted the land in Eccles, she did not realize that it was so close to the Landfill Site. In fact, she was elated since she had applied around 2002- 2003. Though grateful that she has her own house, she is displeased with the scent, which is believed to be harmful.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Protest electoral tyranny
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- There comes a time in the life of a nation when silence is no longer an option, when the... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
