Environment minister addresses issues

Environment Minister, Dr. Denis Lowe is promising to address the “Cahill issue” when he speaks in the House of Assembly today, as the Opposition’s No Confidence debate goes into its second day.

 

However, he told the media yesterday that Cahill is a company and not a project and it is important that the distinction is made in the public domain.

 

“What I want you all to focus on is waste to energy that is the project, it is a waste to energy project and can Barbados survive in the next 20 years without a waste to energy project?” he queried.

 

The Minister raised the point as he contended that the multimillion dollar landfill at Greenland is out of the question, and the existing Mangrove Pond landfill, which has reached its limit, cannot satisfy the country’s waste management needs well into the future. Referring to the additional cell commissioned at Mangrove a few years ago, he said, there is still a challenge, as that landfill was built in anticipation of a waste to energy plant coming on stream.

 

Meanwhile, responding to a question regarding the molasses that was disposed of at Mount Wilton Plantation which affected the nearby Coles Cave, the environment minister said the Environmental Protection Department has been dealing with the issue.

 

“They have been very aggressive in establishing the standards which [indicate how] molasses should be disposed of and the most suited sites for it. There have been some plantations that have been calling for it [and] I’ll tell you this, the problem is we have to find suitable disposal sites on those particular locations,” Lowe stated.

 

The minister explained however that there “really is no hazard” in molasses, except for flies which can get caught in it. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that greater consideration must be given to where the molasses is discarded and the method of transportation to get it there.

 

“[Since] we don’t want it on our streets leaking from any vehicle and then of course the whole issue of air quality and whether or not there are noxious spells coming from the content, that needs to be addressed. The Environmental Protection Department is looking into all of those issues and has already been recommending the methodology for the removal and disposal of the molasses,” he said. (JRT)