By Svetlana Marshall
AFTER months of controversy, the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill will now be managed and operated by Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. at a cost of $221.4M, but only for a period of one year.The multi-million dollar contract was signed on Thursday in the conference room of the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill site at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, by Permanent Secretary Emil McGarrell and Managing-Director of Puran Brothers Disposal Inc., Lakenauth Puran in the presence of Minister of ,Ronald Bulkan.

The agreement comes months after a recent controversy ended with a US$5.7M settlement in January 2016 between BK International Inc., the previous contractor, and the Legal Affairs Ministry, which acted on behalf of the Ministry of Communities.

The original contract between the government and BK International was discontinued in December 2015, due to non-compliance with the Operations Management Requirements and the Environment Permit which was granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That contract was for the period 2011 to 2021.

“Essentially, the settlement was designed to allow for the contractor (BK International Inc.) to vacate the site so that arrangements can be put in place for a better and improved management of the facility,” Minister Bulkan told media operatives shortly after the signing of the new contract.

With that hurdle crossed, the Communities Minister is anticipating that the safety and environmental issues which have been plaguing the facility and neighbouring communities will be addressed through effective management on the part of Puran Brothers Disposal Inc.

The new contract, he said, allows for new and improved features to be employed at the landfill facility, which will significantly enhance its ability to process and compact the waste, reduce the odour and combat fires.

FIRE
In December 2015, a section of the landfill site was consumed by fire due to the contractor’s alleged failure to adhere to the operations management requirements as stipulated under Section 15.6 of the signed agreement regarding fire prevention and fire-fighting.

The Communities Ministry had also contended that poor management techniques and inadequate security measures were among the practices employed by BK International Inc., which could have also been contributory factors to the blaze which lasted for days.

The fire had resulted in a shift in operations from cell one to a temporary site. However, Minister Bulkan said that now that a new contract has been signed, operations will re-commence at cell one.

Head of the Sanitation Management Unit at the Ministry of Communities, Gordon Gilkes, said Puran Brothers Disposal Inc., in the management and operation of the landfill facility, will be guided by the Operations Service Requirements embedded in the contract.

These include but are not limited to the compacting of waste in order to increase the life of the site, providing daily cover to the waste, observing good health and safety standards, providing adequate equipment to manage the waste, adequate personnel to manage the site, and maintaining the facilities on site. These facilities include the administration building, scale and scale house, health post, leachate pump stations, internal roads and drainage systems. Other requirements include providing fire-fighting facilities and the maintenance of a contingency plan.

Gilkes told reporters that the new agreement will also pave the way for the utilization of the $90M landfill compactor, which was bought since 2014 by the then Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, but was never used.

USE OF COMPACTOR

He explained that the “specialist” equipment, which is designed to compact waste to the required density, was procured in October 2014 but was never handed over to BK International due to a number of concerns surrounding the possible management and maintenance of the multi-million equipment. Gilkes noted, however, that persons have been trained to operate the compactor.

The landfill facility is expected to be open from 7.00am to 8.00pm Monday to Saturday and 8.00am to 2.00pm on Sundays and holidays.

Puran told the media that his company was committed to ensuring that the facility is transformed into a site which complies with international and environmental standards.

He noted that his waste disposal firm will work along with the Ministry of Communities towards enhancing the aesthetics and implementing regulations that are in accordance with the relevant health standards.

Solid Waste Director of the Georgetown municipality, Walter Narine, said he was extremely delighted that new measures were being put in place to ensure the effective disposal and recycling of waste.