STATEMENT GIVEN BY THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ONOURABLE CARVIN MALONE AT THE FIFTH SITTING
OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FOURTH HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

ON WEDNESDAY, 16^TH JULY 2019

POCKWOOD POND WASTE MANAGEMENT SITE

Mr. Speaker, although I have on two occasions reported on the effects of the fire that has made the incinerator at Pockwood Pond inoperable I nevertheless find it necessary to report on interim measures taken while the control panel is being assembled and the electrical works are being conducted.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that deposits to Consutech and Skelton Electricals have been paid and work on both contracts have commenced. It has been advised that the lead time for the construction, assembly, delivery, commissioning and initiation of the panel is estimated between eight to twelve weeks.

In the interim Mr. Speaker, all efforts SHALL continue and be enhanced to reduce the occurrences of spontaneous combustion and the ensuing smoke that affect residents and visitors alike. Although not uncommon to all landfill and/or dumping sites the nuisance caused by the smoke has given rise to both immediate and medium terms measures as follows:

1. The Environmental Health Department is now in the possession of approximately 400 filtered masks which would be available to affected persons and households in Pockwood Pond and West of the incinerator beginning Thursday July 18th at the office of Environmental Health located at John’s Hole, next to the Red Cross Building. The staff of the department will be on-hand to demonstrate and train individuals on the proper usage of the masks supplied. 

I must add that I do believe that we would have enough and will procure enough so that residents in Virgin Gorda and any other areas that may well be affected by this until we have it under control would also be invited to actually participate in the training and the supply of these masks.

2. Mr. Speaker, the department will embark on a project to install 4 air-quality monitoring stations in the surrounding communities of the Pockwood Pond waste management site so as to advise residents of the corrective actions that would be deemed necessary in the event of the disturbances caused by the fires and smoke.

3. Requests for proposals for the specifications, sourcing and pricing of both foam and seawater pumping, transmission and disperse equipment has been advised and initiated at the department and at the Ministry.

4. Requests for proposals for the specifications, sourcing and pricing for proper land fill equipment for the compaction and capping of materials at the Pockwood Pond site or at any future site has been advised and will be initiated again at the Ministry.

5. There is no time like the present to fully and I mean FULLY initiate the principles of REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE. The consultants are finalizing their findings and reports. A comprehensive report and a way forward would immediately follow. There now exist a number of agents, companies and individuals who on various measures have initiated the recycling measures and we acknowledge their efforts like times before.

6. The contracts and arrangements to remove derelict vehicles from the territory are now in their advance stages. Once completed the current storage sites and we know them (Sea Cow’s Bay, Pockwood Pond, Cox Heath and other sites) would be restored.

7. Complete specification of the Pockwood Pond site as a state of the art waste management site is being completed by the consultants and, again we would invite tenders for sourcing, pricing and installation of whatever form of equipment  necessary to minimize the volume that will go into the incinerator and as a result the treated waste that would actually result.

Mr Speaker, the situation at Pockwood Pond is and will continue to be taken with the urgency that it is. Thank you very much.