End this Greenland nonsense
CANDIDLY SPEAKING
Publication: Weekend Nation
Paper Section And Page: 8
Paper Date: Fri, Nov 3, 2000
Byline: Sandiford-Garner Irene
ON SUNDAY Terry Ally confirmed what "Rugged" and all the other
residents of Shorey Village, St. Andrew, knew and told them ever since.
That there are fresh water springs under the area on which Greenland
Landfill was set up. Apparently Richard Goddard, a farmer who lives
nearby, said he learnt from workmen drilling holes since 1995 that they
found water.
He passed on his information to a Peer Review Committee, but it was
ignored. Now we can hear that "a freshwater spring was discovered at
the site during a hydro-geological study and later, when construction
started, pipes were laid to channel the water to the western
watercourse," according to Ally. He added that statements from the
Ministry of Health over the years never confirmed the presence of springs.
Work at Greenland ended in 1997, and some $20 million has been spent on it
to date. Yet, it canıt open. St. Andrew residents, environmentalists and
all those who could not stifle their conscience, spoke out against the
siting of a landfill at Greenland. I had family that went up to the
Alleyne School that evening to protest, because we knew it was ignorance
at its best.
They have been explaining that the soil in that part of Barbados is
unstable, that the Greenland area is part of a proposed National Park
stretching through the beautiful Scotland District. That it is utter folly
to put a waste disposal unit such as a landfill in that unstable area. But
nobody would hear.
The big-ups and the experts had no time for the residents and
environmentalists. Now news is leaking out about springs being there, and
that people working on the project that taxpayers have spent so much on,
knew that this water existed.
Can you believe it? That people could be so stubborn and hard-headed?
I would like to know how much more money Government plans to spend down
there. How much farther do they plan to go? What point is being proven
here? I would suggest the decent thing to do now is for Government to
admit Greenland was a mistake, beg our pardon for dumping $20 million on a
bad idea, and solemnly promise that the Ministry of Health would seriously
explore and act on all options regarding alternative waste disposal
methods. It is time we put an end to the Greenland stuff and nonsense.
I have to end with this one, writing about Greenland reminded me. Last
Sunday the Prime Minister "piss-parade", to quote Lickmout Lou,
at the Barbados Labour Partyıs Annual General Conference. He called the
Democratic Labour Party members "goons" and
"riff-raff", he do dixie, in a less than decorous fashion. Yet,
he fired former Minister of Health Liz Thompson because he did not
appreciate her response to Opposition Leader David Thompson when he
(Thompson) asked for a tour of Greenland. This politricks could really
confuse a woman.
- Irene Sandiford-Garner is a credit union marketing officer and a
former
journalist.