THE well-being of the residents of St. George should take priority over any ongoing operations at the Lower Estate Quarry.
Member of Parliament for St. Joseph, Dale Marshall, who noted that he was “born and bred” in the Lower Estate community, and subsequently moved there in the year 2000 where he became “the happiest man in the world”, noted the above as he lent his voice to a call from residents affected by the operations at the Quarry, for it to be closed. Residents in surrounding communities say they are suffering severely from various respiratory and other health challenges, as a result of the offensive smoke and odour emanating from garbage that constantly burns in the Quarry.
Declaring that he had lost all sympathy for Anderson Cherry and his Project Recycle business, Marshall openly told the waste-hauler and recycler that there is no justification for maintaining what is now the dump site known as Quarry Reduce Ltd. in Lower Estate. Marshall was at the time speaking at a meeting convened at the Church of God in Salters, St. George, to discuss the controversial dump site. That meeting was chaired by Member of Parliament for St. George North, Gline Clarke.
“My children are not asthmatic, but I can tell you that what is happening now has affected the comfort and the way of life that we used to enjoy,” Marshall remarked.
“One of the things that worries me, is the tremendous increase in vermin that I have noticed at my house and in my neighbourhood. Everybody knows that in the country you have rats and in the crop season when they cut the canes, the rats run out. We all know that, but you see rats running across that cart road (by the Quarry) day in and day out in the hundreds and we perhaps live a little further away from the actual dump than many of you. So if I have it, I am sure you have it too and that is a tremendous concern,” Marshall told those gathered.
“Now I have always admired Mr. Cherry. I think he has been a solid Barbadian business man, but … I am very disappointed because when I first read about you first operating a facility in that Quarry, my understanding was that it was a recycling centre. I see trucks going in, but I don’t see any trucks coming back out with any recycling materials. So if all that is happening is that full trucks are going in and empty trucks are coming out, then I think you have misled the people of this community,” Marshall said to loud applause.
Stressing that he is even more concerned now he has heard from former general manager of the Barbados Water Authority, Dr. John Mwansa, about a possible threat to the groundwater supply due to the operations at the dump, Marshall declared, “I am of the view now that there is only one solution. Even if I was sympathetic enough, hearing what Dr. Mwansa has said has now caused me to be terrified.”
“You need to do the decent thing, close the operation and withdraw,” Marshall told Cherry. (RSM)