Pockwood Pond “fumes” still concern USVI
Minister for Health and Social Development Hon. Ronnie Skelton told the House of Assembly during the 2012 Budget Debate on March 23, 2012 that while the new incinerator is currently in operation, it lacks the scrubber and complaints are still coming in from the United States Virgin Islands regarding the emissions from the site.
He gave an update on the scrubber and the other efforts to acquire water, which is required for use by the scrubber, which is an air pollution control device that can be used to remove some particles and/or gases from waste facility’s exhaust steams.
“We have not installed a scrubber on it, we have paid for it, I have given instructions for the scrubber to be made and shipped to the BVI. We have to discuss with the land owner to acquire a piece of land to get sea water to get into the scrubber to filter what’s going in the atmosphere. That is being worked on.”
The open burning on the Western end of Tortola has been a vexing issue for both local residents and residents of the United States Virgin Islands for a long time, especially those on St. John’s Coral Bay.
As for the Coral Bay residents, they too may be relieved as the matter had even reached the US State Department with the USVI Governor John P de Jongh Jr. having to step it and was given assurances that the problem would have been rectified in September.In an article published in the St. Thomas Source on January 4, 2011 titled
“Tortola dump fire has St. John residents fuming”, several residents of St. John had expressed their frustration with the open fire and one resident even suggested that they take the matter to the United Nations.
During the Christmas holidays last year, the external burning was producing black smoke which was as a result of items getting into the dumpsite that were not supposed to be there.
In a statement that was issued by Governor de Jongh on March 10, 2011, he had stated, “Our friends in the British Virgin Islands must responsibly process their waste. It is unfair for the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, specifically residents of St. John, to have their air quality diminished by the actions of a neighbouring country”.
Meanwhile, on January 27, 2011, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Development Petrona Davies had confirmed to Virgin Islands News Online that the new incinerator at Pockwood Pond, which is expected to address the open burning concerns, would have been completed by late August to early September 2011.
“We are very much concerned for those persons who are affected,” Mrs. Davies had said while outlining that the health ministry would have had community discussions with all those who were affected on the island of Tortola, mainly residents of the 1st and 3rd Districts.
The Governor, who was in the Virgin Islands for the Fourth Inter-Virgin Islands Council (IVIC) meeting which had taken place on May 12, 2011 had said, “What was especially gratifying in addition to law enforcement is to be able to hear the Ministry talk about the addressing of the Pockwood Pond incinerator. That has been a tremendous concern for the people of St. John and to hear that there is a process that will result in it being completed the early part of the summer, I think is both gratifying to us but also I must commend the BVI for taking on an issue to address electricity and the waste within the community in a way that is creative.”
15 Responses to “Pockwood Pond “fumes” still concern USVI”