31 major fires at dumps to date | THE DAILY HERALD

PHILIPSBURG–A total of 31 fires that required the response of the Fire Department have occurred at the dump sites on Pond Island since the start of 2018. This number does not include flare-ups which the fire personnel were not called in to tackle.

The Fire Department statistic was given to Parliament by Environment and Instructure Minister Miklos Giterson on Friday afternoon in response to questions from National Alliance Member of Parliament (MP) Silveria Jacobs in the continuation of a Central Committee meeting on the situation at the constantly-burning dump and government’s ongoing and proposed solutions to the country’s solid-waste-management problem.

Of the 31 fires, 12 were classified as “small” that required only one fire truck to douse the fire. All other, “larger” fires needed the Fire Department to respond with all firefighting equipment.

Fourteen of fires were deemed “medium” sized, four “big” ones were on April 13 and 25, May 13, and August 17.

There were two “very big” fires so far for the year. The first was on the Hurricane Irma dump on February 6 and right afterward on the main dump. Both fires lasted a week.
One root cause of fires at the two dumps was tagged as “lack of adequate materials to cover the dump.”

Giterson, responding to another of Jacobs’ questions, said it is necessary for government to raise more money to tackle the country’s ongoing solid-waste-management problem.

Introducing any tariff or fee requires law amendments by Parliament, he said.
United St. Maarten Party MPs Frans Richardson and Rolando Brison asked whether Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin had signed any agreement with the World Bank for a US $55 million grant for water and electricity company GEBE that would result in the laying off of 70 employees. Giterson, who is responsible for energy affairs, said he was unaware of any such agreement.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/80170-31-major-fires-at-dumps-to-date

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