Phase 2 construction of Eccles dump-site halted for flawed designs

Sep 20, 2020 News

– contractor ordered to construct cells with HDPE liner

Kaieteur News has been reliably informed that a contractor hired to complete the Phase 2 of the Haags Bosch Industrial Landfill site at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, has been instructed to halt construction after reports surfaced that the new cells were being built without the HDPE liners.

The HDPE liner now being placed on the new cells

According to information received, the contractor was ordered to construct the new cells using the protective liner as excluding that integral component could pose a serious health risk to nearby environs and the country’s water system.
Already, one cell had been constructed without the liner after reports indicated that the previous A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration approved the previous design excluding the HDPE liner and, instead, forged ahead with construction.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later got wind of this and instructed that the project be halted and the contractors were sent back to the drawing board to include the protective liner.
With the construction of the new cells, the protective liner was included in the designs. However, the contractor, Kaieteur News understands, was instructed to revert to the old design.
“Because we got oil and gas now and waste would be coming there, it would be ridiculous to construct the new cell without the liner. What happens if that toxic water seeps into our water system and people get sick? Who would get blamed?” the source had said.
For reference, the HPDE liners or “Landfiller Linings” are physical barrier systems intended to prevent the escape of poisonous water and gases out of the body of the landfilled waste.
The Landfill Liner is placed at the bottom and sides of modern landfills and are continuously welded to provide a watertight seal.
This lining is integral in the construction of landfills as they secure the environment and protect the natural underground water system from being contaminated with the harmful materials that come from waste.
These protective liners also prevent the movement of leachate (toxic liquid from landfills) along with the escape of poisonous dissolved by-products, which would otherwise infiltrate the environment.

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