Central Govt steps in for new Haags Bosch contractor

– to pay 1M for 1 year of service

Central Government on Thursday came to the assistance of local government when it facilitated the signing of a new contract for the development and maintenance of the controversial Haags Bosch solid waste disposal site.
Puran Brothers Disposal Inc has emerged the most suitable contractor to maintain the disposal site from a line-up of several other bidders, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan has said.

The Minister, along with senior officials within his Ministry, representatives of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the contracted firm, gathered in the boardroom of the site’s administrative building, at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, where the contract was signed. The contract will last for 12 months and stands at a cost of some $221 million.
According to Bulkan, the signing of the new contract provides for different and improved features, including the use of a compactor unit to more efficiently manage the waste and to extend the duration and life of the landfill site.
“There will be daily cover of the waste to prevent odour and other unsanitary effects. There will also be proper fire fighting equipment,” he said, since there have been numerous bouts of fires during the last couple of months, following the departure of the previous contractor.
The Communities Minister said it is expected that a “fresh approach” be had from what was said was the continuation of an intended meaningful relationship between Central and local government. “This is a fresh approach between Central Government and local government. The contract represents an investment on the part of Government to the municipality to help support their activity.” He said he hopes they can both move forward with a harmonious relationship.
Head of the waste management unit of the Communities Ministry Gordon Gilkes said it was important that the new contractor put the necessary systems in place to manage the landfill properly. He said there are guidelines for operation management requirements.
“In order to reduce the environmental impact of the landfill, two things need to be done. There is need for the compacting of the waste to increase the life of the landfill – to prevent roaches and rats and compacting it on a daily basis.”
He said Government has its own landfill compactor; a specialist equipment that will be used to compact the waste with the required density. “It was never used before. So with this new contract, the contractor will use it,” Gilkes assured.
The new contractor, Puran Brothers Inc, replaces the previous contractor BK International, which had some issues with Government regarding the termination of its contract.
According to Bulkan, the firm had brought legal action against Government for seeking to terminate the contract they had for the management of the facility up to 2021.

According to Bulkan, the firm had brought legal action against Government for seeking to terminate the contract they had for the management of the facility up to 2021. He related that the company was not paid since June 2014.
“They later submitted an 18 month claim in excess of US $10 million for outstanding work relating to the site. In January this year, a settlement was agreed upon by the Ministry of Communities and the AG chambers for a settlement sum of US $5.7 million for a period of 20 months.”
He said the settlement was designed for the contractor to vacate the site and new arrangements be put in place for improved management of the facility.

Solid waste strategy
Meanwhile, a contract for consultation on the Draft National Solid Waste Management Strategy was also signed at the same venue between the Government of Guyana and an individual contractor Samuel Wright.
The G$11,888,000 contract will last for some six months, from July to December and will see consultations being held across Guyana.
Wright is expected during the period to report on the public consultations, give updates on the National Solid Waste Management Strategy, a regional solid waste management plan and templates for monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the regional plans.
The draft National Solid Waste Management Strategy was developed under the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Programme which was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Guyana with assistance of an international consultant.
In developing the draft strategy, the consultant would have consulted with stakeholders across Guyana including but not limited to municipalities, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology.
It is recommended that the draft National Solid Waste Management Strategy take into consideration nationwide consultation with all stakeholders so that the input of civil society can be incorporated into the final document before its ratification by Cabinet.
The draft Strategy includes a vision, three objectives and six goals and 44 key strategic actions.