Replacing Mandela dumpsite…
A CONTRACT, for building the access road to the Haags Bosch landfill site, at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, was signed yesterday.

From left: Managing Director of H. Nauth and Sons Mr. Kiran Nauth, Local Government Permanent Secretary Mr. Sewchan and Project Manager Mr. Walter Willis.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Sewchan and Mr. Kiran Nauth, of H. Nauth and Sons Civil Engineering Contractors, affixed their signatures to the deal in the presence of Project Manager, Mr. Walter Willis, in the Ministry Boardroom, Fort Street, Kingston, Georgetown.

Sewchan said the funding will be from part of an US$18M loan agreement between the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through a partnership approach.

He outlined the components to the project as:

* institutional strengthening and capacity building;

* community participation and public awareness;

* construction and operation of the new landfill site;

* waste collection and disposal from participating Neighbourhood

Democratic Councils (NDCs);

* rehabilitation, expansion and closing of the Le Repentir landfill

and
* hazardous industrial and health care waste management.

Sewchan said the Ministry went through the competition process and, out of the eight contracting firms that were available, Nauth managed to be the successful one.

Sewchan said the duration of the work is five months and warned that the Ministry will not be accepting any excuses for it not being completed in a timely manner.

He said, because of the sensitivity involved in the completion, the Ministry was imploring the contractor to deliver quality services and in the stipulated period, too.

Sewchan also mentioned that the Ministry will be closely monitoring the progress and ensuring that site visits are done, with an office already established where meetings and the like will be conducted.

He said an extension would not be automatic but, if a request is made, it will have to be thoroughly reviewed.

Sewchan explained that Government decided to extract that part of the contract which deals with the access road so that work on it can be started.

Nauth gave the undertaking that his company will try its best to finish on schedule, noting that this is not the first time it is working for the Ministry.

He said his firm has a very high level team and will be performing in an efficient manner.

Willis, in brief remarks, said the development is in keeping with Government’s policy to enhance the lives of citizens and make their sanitary conditions better.

He said more than half the country’s population will benefit from the new landfill as it would deliver relief to 122,000 households and 15 NDCs.

In a recent interview, Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Robert Williams told the Guyana Chronicle the Haags Bosch landfill, to replace the Mandela dumpsite in Le Repentir, will be operational by 2010.