Ministers Lall, Benn at Mandela Landfill Site…

In their continued bid to ensure that operations at the Mandela Landfill Site continue to progress without  setbacks, Minister of Public Works and Communication   Robeson Benn and Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall, along  with several officers from the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), yesterday paid a visit to the site  to assess conditions there.
After inspecting the area, Minister Lall explained that he is fairly satisfied with the progress made since the intervention by Central Government.
He said, “It has been about two weeks since we started operations here to assist the City Council and we are fairly satisfied with what is going on.”
According to Lall, the site is presently in a better condition as it is better organised and the stench emanating from the accumulation of garbage has been reduced.
The Minister, however, pointed out that greater improvement is needed in relation to the daily management of the entire site.
“Right now the water is rising in the canals and we need to check the flow of the water,” he explained.
Continuing, he said that works will continue at the Mandela site until Haags Bosch is operational by the end of this month.
As for the readiness of this new site, Lall said work has been progressing slowly due to the rainy weather which is hampering the movement of heavy equipment needed to prepare the area.
He stated, “The work is a bit slow because of the rainy weather.”
“But the reports that I am getting from the Implementation Unit is that everything is on stream.”
Meanwhile, Minister Benn emphasised that he continues to monitor the progress of operations at the Mnadela site to guarantee that it is conducted in an efficient manner.
He indicated that the access ramp, which was encroaching on the entrance of the site, has been now been pushed back by equipment provided for that purpose.
“We have tidied up the drains and brought in lights along the road leading into the area,” Benn revealed, as he highlighted other improvements to the site.
He expressed concern over vandalism of the lights and pointed out that this is the third time that street lights have been installed along Vlissengen Road.
In addition, Benn informed that there is currently an area available on top of the Mandela Landfill to hold an additional 50,000 tonnes of garbage, which means that the capacity exists at the site to carry an additional load for another month.
“For another month at least we will have garbage coming in which will be taken to the top of the site, disposed and sealed with clay,” Benn explained.
He said that the operations at Haggs Bosch will be ready by the end of the month barring any major setbacks.
Public Relations Officer at the M&CC, Royston King, expressed his satisfaction over the current improvements at the Mandela Site and extended appreciation to the Central Government for its interventions.
According to King, the situation at the Mandela Site has greatly improved and there is now a tidier arrangement there.
“We are aware of a commitment given by Central Government that the new site will be available at the end of this month and that the people at the new site are working assiduously to make it available,” he said.
Giving his assurances that the M&CC will continue to work on improving the garbage situation, he also appealed to citizens to dispose of their garbage in a responsible manner.
“Our contractors are being paid and are working  according to schedule; but we are asking citizens to cooperate with us and not indulge in old habits of dumping garbage in a careless manner,” he said.
Central Government came to the aid of the M&CC after President Bharrat Jagdeo requested the Ministries of Local Government and Regional Development and Public Works to assist the M&CC in management of the site.
The Mandela landfill was established in 1994 on a 10 acre plot to accommodate refuse, primarily from Georgetown, East Coast and East Bank Demerara, as well as some areas on West Bank and West Coast Demerara and was slated to be closed since 2006.