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Add to Preferred SourcesThe Emergency Debris Management project for a total of US$ 25 million in grant from the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund financed by the Government of the Netherlands was approved to help Sint Maarten clear the hurricane debris, suppress the landfill fires and improve management of the waste disposal sites at Pond Island in Philipsburg.
The Government of Sint Maarten, in collaboration with the World Bank, have been taking important steps to prepare fire suppression activities at the disposal site since August. Equipment for better landfill management and fire control are being procured. A baseline assessment on air quality was conducted at the dump site in preparation for fire suppression operations and health and safety measures. Additional measurements and a monitoring plan will be put in place in the coming weeks.
The problem of the open landfill precedes Irma and was exacerbated by the hurricane when an estimated 100,000 m3 of debris following the disaster was disposed at a temporary dump next to the existing municipal waste disposal site.
The Emergency Debris Management project was identified as a priority project by the Trust Fund Steering committee and aims to suppress the smoldering fires and the improvement of air quality for Sint Maarten’s citizens and visitors. It will also collect and process hurricane and reconstruction-related debris and recover about 130 damaged vessels from Sint Maarten’s Simpson Bay Lagoon.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 20 December 2018