NA dumpsite continues to burn, firefighters struggling to reach western side

…Cevons Waste Management distances self

Cevons Waste Management Inc (CWM) on Monday said it no longer has the contract to manage the New Amsterdam municipal dumpsite, which has been burning for more than one week now.
Chief Executive Officer of Cevons Waste Management Inc, Morse Archer said on Monday that the contract to manage the facility is no longer with the company.
The town’s Mayor, Wainwright McIntosh, had stated that the Town Council is not in receipt of any contract given out to manage the facility but noted that it is not under the control of the municipality.
“It is not the municipality who would have given that contract out. This contract was procured through the Government of Guyana. The municipality to date has not seen any contract coming from the Government of Guyana or the contractor,” Mayor McIntosh explained.
The dumpsite has been burning for several days, producing toxic smoke that has been covering sections of the town. The Mayor had referred to it as an environmental crisis.
By Sunday, firefighters were able to pull down a significant portion of the huge pile of solid waste, which also included pieces of wood, plastic, and rubber.
However, up to press time on Monday, thick smoke was still seen coming from sections of the site.
Sources close to the New Amsterdam Fire Service told this publication that the workers have been working around the clock and several pieces of equipment have been damaged over the past week battling the fire.
As it stands, the firefighters are experiencing difficulty getting to the western side of the dumpsite, which along with the south-eastern side continue to burn.
However, smoke emissions have reduced considerably.
During last week, smoke from the fire at the dumpsite affected three schools, forcing two of them to send students home and special security measures were put in place at the New Amsterdam Prisons as the smoke reached there.
The New Amsterdam Hospital compound was also covered with smoke, making visibility almost impossible.
According to a source at the hospital, it did not have an effect on in-house patients. However, some outpatients say they were affected and could not stay for treatment when they visited.
The situation at the medical facility was only temporary, and so too at the prison and schools. (G4)