Assessments for Bartica, Linden and Mahdia landfill sites

─ “The objective is to reduce the impact on the environment to safeguard human health” – Technical Advisor on Waste Management, Gordon Gilkes

DPI, Guyana, Monday, April 15, 2019

The Ministry of Communities is edging closer to the establishment of sanitary landfill sites in the towns of Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Linden, Upper Demerara-Berbice and Mahdia, Potaro-Siparuni.

Technical Advisor on Waste Management, Gordon Gilkes said the ministry will be carrying out Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) on the sites, before the procurement of the consultants.

The EIA falls under the department’s Capital Projects for 2019.

The landfill designs will include topographic surveys of the sites, access to the site, site security, waste disposal and fill management, leachate management, landfill gas management, operations and maintenance manuals, environmental audits and environmental monitoring and management systems.

Further in the department’s plans for this year is the expansion of the Haags Bosch landfill site. Gilkes said the department will commence the construction of cell two before the end of April.

Upgrades will also be done on sites that are operated by the department, particularly those within municipalities.

“Presently, we have contracts in place with private operators to manage these sites. Now, we have a contractor that is placing the waste in an orderly manner, compacting and covering it daily. The objective is to reduce the impact on the environment to safeguard human health,” Gilkes told DPI recently.

There are currently two operations in the East Berbice-Rose Hall, Corentyne and Esplanade, New Amsterdam landfills. Gilkes explained that the sites in New Amsterdam and Rose Hall were regular dumpsites. However, persons were employed to bury and compact the waste.

The Technical Advisor noted too that the landfill in New Amsterdam will soon be moved to Belle Vue on the East Bank of Berbice. The site is currently located between the Esplanade Park and the area that will soon house the Synthetic Track.

Alexis Rodney.

Image: Marceano Narine.