Barima-Waini on a mission for a new landfill location

Mayor of Mabaruma, in Barima-Waini (Region One), Henry Smith, has said the slated landfill which aims to provide a sustainable approach to sanitation management for the region is being delayed as the municipality looks for a suitable site for its establishment.

During a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), the mayor said the administration had encountered “some problems, where residents were objecting to it (landfill) being stationed at its set location”.
The mayor stressed that, at this moment, there are talks about acquiring alternative sites which would not only be approved by the administration, but the residents for their benefit.
According to the mayor, for health purposes, the administration would be looking for locations away from persons’ homes.
Last year, the Communities Ministry signed a $6.5million contract for hydrogeological and geotechnical investigations at proposed landfills in Region One (Mabaruma and Port Kaituma). The work is to be undertaken by E&A Consultants Limited.
Mayor Smith has said that these efforts to establish the landfill sites are in keeping with the Government’s ‘Green Economy’ agenda. He also highlighted that despite the pause on the landfill, there was tremendous improvement regarding the region’s healthcare services, teachers being trained, and educational opportunities being available. He also noted the ongoing lessons being provided to secondary school students at the Mabaruma Settlement, to improve students’ knowledge now that more qualified teachers are resident in the region.
“Things are looking up for us, really looking up for us; and you can see in the surroundings (that) people are more conscious about their environment. Even all of the lands are being taken up, as everyone wants to be in this development,” Mayor Smith has said.