EE resident at wits end over dust pollution
Sections of the roadway have had to be dug up to facilitate the laying of pipes for the East End Sewerage Project and the road is yet to be compacted and resurfaced. In the meantime, residents have had to be contending with lots of dust and messy roads whenever it rains.
And according to Mr Jerome D. McMillan, the situation is unbearable as the dust is everywhere, forcing residents to keep their houses locked. Added to that the dust is posing a health hazard and damaging property.
“From the time this project started I have been complaining about the dust. They wet it (road) twice a day sometime none at all. In fact when they wet it, it gets worst because the dust then gets like flour. It going into your lungs, I can hardly talk. Yesterday I couldn’t even talk, I had to go to the doctor,” Mr McMillan told Virgin Islands News Online.
Pointing to his closed windows at the front of his apartment, Mr McMillan said, “The front of the house here close down, we can’t open the windows. Look at it. Everything closed. You dare not open a window here, and nobody can tell me when the problem will be solved.”
Damage to property
This news site’s reporter was also shown the damage the dust had done to the man’s windows which he said will now have to be replaced since the dust cannot be removed. Several tiles on his floor, the man said, will also have to be replaced as there was nothing that could bring them back to the state they were in before being stained by dust.
“This is unreasonable; I have never seen this in my entire life,” Mr McMillan exclaimed before asking who was going to compensate him. “I have to speak to a lawyer about this.”
According to McMillan, the dust pollution is because of the material used to fill back the holes dug for the laying of pipes.
“About six or seven weeks ago, Public Works started this sewerage works. I witnessed it myself because I live right along the road here. They dug about 7 to 9 feet in the ground, they laid one pipe, full it up back with quarry waste. As far as I am concerned, I am a building contractor and I know what quarry waste is, quarry waste is mud when it’s wet.”
Not afraid of victimisation
Many other residents expressed their discomfort with the dust pollution although not brave enough as Mr McMillan to go on record for what they termed as fear of victimisation. The National Democratic Party (NDP) government has been constantly accused of trying to silence anyone who speaks against it. This has been causing much fear among residents, especially civil servants.
“There are two doctors in counsel, Dr Smith and Dr Pickering. They don’t care nothing about anybody. Everybody about here bawling about this dust. And I hope you taping this, anytime they put me to pasture, somebody else going with me. I am not going down by myself,” Mr McMillan said, in emphasising that he wasn’t afraid of victimisation.
Skulduggery?
One of the things Mr McMillan is questioning is why the same road has to be dug up at least three times for the laying of pipes. According to him, reliable sources have indicated that the road was dug up the first time for the laying of a pipeline, then after refilling it was dug up a second time for the laying of another pipeline over the first. He understands it has to be dug a third time for the laying of new water distribution lines.
According to Mr McMillan, he spoke to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications and Works Mr Anthony S. McMaster about the constant digging up of the road and questioned him why they just couldn’t dig the road once and lay the pipes. “They tell me they can’t close the road. Close it if you have to. Nobody around here listens, no Government minister nobody. They just taking advantage of poor people.”
Added to that, Mr McMillan is of the view that roads are being dug up all over the territory and not being completed, causing much inconvenience for residents. “The whole thing in disarray, they making it look like they doing the work and nothing is doing. Complete one project first. For good God man, get this thing done and take us out of this mess.”
The concerned resident also reasoned that the Blackburn Highway is one of the main roads in the Virgin Islands and frequently traversed by tourists. “A lot of tourists driving through this, they had them driving in raw sewage now they have them in contaminated dust.”
Gov’t doesn’t care
“Dr Pickering, Dr Smith, Mark Vanterpool, not one of them seems to care about the people in this country, as far as I noticed. Why? It seems to me that every district spends their money, they have their own public works, so things can never go right. Nothing can go right around here.”
Contacted about Mr McMillan’s concerns and allegations on April 14, 2015, PS McMaster said he was in no position to respond to our questions as he was in a meeting but was aware of Mr McMillan’s concerns and the Ministry was putting together a statement that would address the concerns.
“We are actually putting together a statement that we are going to release later today (yesterday) on the matter. That is in regards to the sewerage project in East End. I spoke to the gentleman myself yesterday and he did tell me he was going to the online news media, which he did, and we have put a full statement together which is going to be released this afternoon…The statement should cover everything that is of concern to the gentleman and other residents of East End.”
MCW Statement
In the statement released on April 14, 2015 by Government Information Service (GIS), McMaster said the Ministry of Communications and Works is aware of the inconvenience caused by the traffic diversions and some dust pollution, as this project is being undertaken. He also apologised for this inconvenience and assured the public that every effort is being made to effectively control the flow of traffic and minimise the dust pollution.
"It is a process. We are now putting a cement stabilization base on the road and this would significantly reduce the dust pollution and hopefully, within the next two days, residents should see the effects of that and this would also produce a smoother surface for motorists to drive on," Mr McMaster said.
The release stated that over the past three to four weeks, crews have been working on installing sewerage and water distribution lines in the East End area from the Police Station in Long Swamp to the Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) Centre in Fat Hog's Bay.
This, it said, forms part of the total infrastructural rehabilitation project, which involves the Water and Sewerage Department and the Public Works Department.
"During this phase, sewerage lines will be laid at ten feet underground and this will be followed by the installation of the force mains at four feet under," the statement quoted Mr McMaster as saying.
It was noted that when the installation of the force mains is completed, the water distribution lines, which are being upgraded from 6 to 8 inches, will be placed at four feet underground.
The next phase of the project will involve the Public Works Department constructing curb and slipper drains along the road.
"The slipper drains are essential for ensuring proper drainage and will also serve to preserve the integrity of the road in the long term…When this is completed, the Public Works Department will then completely resurface this stretch of the road," the release further quoted Mr McMaster.
More complaints
Meanwhile, a woman called the Speak Out BVI show hosted by Doug Wheatley on ZBVI 780 AM last night April 14, 2015 to voice her concerns about another issue arising from the ongoing road works along the Blackburn Highway.
"There is this work on the road coming towards East. However, there is a set of debris on the side of the road and there is no warning for motorists," she said.
"We understand that the work needs to be done but there needs to be some way that the motorists are warned of the hazards ahead," said the caller.
Host Wheatley concurred saying that sometimes no one is there to guide road users when there may be works ongoing.
"Although they are probably trying their best they need to redouble their efforts and do a little more," he said on the need for better management of such situations.
NDP Gov’t continuing to fall out with EE residents
The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) government has been finding itself facing harsh criticisms from the public, and more recently from East End residents over issues of land acquisition, the ongoing sewerage project and the construction of a fisherman’s dock in that area.
Only recently an East End family had made it public that they were not pleased over the recent Motion which was moved by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith during the Fourth Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Second House of Assembly on March 19, 2015. It received 7 votes for its passage.
Mr Michael ‘Marlo’ Chinnery, the grandson of the original land owner, speaking exclusively to Virgin Islands News Online in the presence of other family members and other sympathetic persons in the 7th and 8th Districts had said the family was not willing to sell the land as they had plans to develop it.
According to Chinnery, the family had even proposed an alternative land that is in short distance of the land in question, however, this was rejected.
He noted that his uncle had plans to develop the land identified for the sewerage pumping station and was now seeking legal advice over the planned acquisition.
“[Hon Kedrick D.] Pickering brought it to the House but where was he? Did he vote? And that is a concern of us too. Why didn’t he vote? I don’t like the situation that he didn’t vote and [Hon Marlon A.] Penn didn’t vote and both of them are tied to this area right here because that land is right between the Eighth and Seventh Districts. And none of them didn’t vote because it would create a problem for them during elections time. And the people know this because they have been coming to us and telling us these things. They are very unhappy about this situation. They are unhappy because they know it could happen to them too.
“I am very displeased with Pickering. I grow up with that man. We used to go Sunday school and stuff. I am very unhappy with that man a long time and am not hiding it, you could put it in the news because I don’t care. I am serious, I am very, very unhappy with him,” Mr Chinnery had stated.
See link to that story:
http://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/en/news/ee-family-upset-over-ndp-land-grab
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34 Responses to “EE resident at wits end over dust pollution”
It must take long if they only really working after hours. If they completely shut down that main road then it will be another story. You all make everything political, just hush let the Government work. Paraham town went through worst and nobody made a sound.
Additionally, major road work should be coordinated with utilities, ie, water, sewer, telecommunications.....etc so that needed work can be laid with one excavation. Cutting into a road shortens its life and impairs its functional condition. Construction should be halted during high winds on dust generating projects. Another issue is traffic control. Every road project(TCP)should have a traffic control plan to protect workers, motorists and pedestrians. Traffic control will be particularly challenging for the VI, given that most roads are two lanes ( one lane in either direction). Specifically effort is needed to prevent/minimize traffic delays, congestions and disruptions. Nite work is more expensive but to the maximum extent possible, funding permitting, it should be employed.
Air pollution occurs when gases, dust particles, fumes (or smoke) or odour are introduced into the atmosphere in a way that makes it harmful to humans, animals and plant. This is because the air becomes dirty (contaminated or unclean).
The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air (made up of various gases) called the atmosphere. The atmosphere helps protect the Earth and allow life to exist. Without it, we would be burned by the intense heat of the sun during the day or frozen by the very low temperatures at night.
Any additional gas, particles or odours that are introduced into the air (either by nature or human activity) to distort this natural balance and cause harm to living things can be called air pollution.
Things that pollute the air are called pollutants. Examples of pollutants include nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, hydrocarbons, sulphur oxides (usually from factories), sand or dust particles, and organic compounds that can evaporate and enter the atmosphere.
There are two types of pollutants:
Primary pollutants are those gases or particles that are pumped into the air to make it unclean. They include carbon monoxide from automobile (cars) exhausts and sulfur dioxide from the combustion of coal.
Secondary pollutants: When pollutants in the air mix up in a chemical reaction, they form an even more dangerous chemical. Photochemical smog is an example of this, and is a secondary pollutant.
1. stop traffic to speed up the finishing of the road.
the result of this is that the road can be fixed and paved so now you have no dust and your sewage and water pipes
will be fixed as well!
2. Continue to water down the dirt road. Watering down the dirt will make it muddy and mean that they will have to fix the evident potholes in the road before paving it but it will keep dust down wile they are working.
3. Do a good job! yes its that simple. do it right the first time so that they won't run into problems later and end up ripping the road back up again causing more problems for the people around and holding up traffic.
some one needs to tell the government that