By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney yesterday called for people adversely affected by dump fires to launch a “class action suit” against the Christie administration for its “failure” to adequately remediate the recurrent fires at the New Providence Landfill.

Mr McCartney, a strong proponent for the remediation of the Harold Road dumpsite, also lamented the “travesty” that was Sunday’s massive fire, charging that with the various options available to the Progressive Liberal Party to deal with the matter, “this should not have been a question today.”

Mr McCartney also criticised successive governments, but particularly the Free National Movement (FNM), for failing to utilise the $23.5m it borrowed from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in 1999 to implement a solid waste disposal project in New Providence and 10 Family Islands.

He also criticised the Christie administration for its inaction over a $650m Stellar Energy waste-to-energy proposal, charging that “had that contract come to fruition, we would not be having this dump problem today”.

On Sunday, Jubilee Gardens residents were forced to evacuate their homes after a massive blaze broke out at the city dump, sending plumes of choking smoke billowing over parts of New Providence. Police have said that fire started at another location and later spread to the landfill.

On Sunday afternoon, fire chief, Superintendent Walter Evans reported that some residents had already sought medical attention from smoke inhalation. He also said there was an excess of 20 to 30 homes in nearby areas that were threatened by the blaze, however no homes have been destroyed by the fire.

Voicing his disdain during a press conference at his law office on Village Road yesterday, Mr McCartney referred to the FNM’s failures after receiving the multi-million dollar grant from the IDB in the late 1990s to alleviate the ordeal.

At the time, then Finance Minister William Allen said the total cost of the solid waste disposal project was $33.5m; the $10m difference was to be government counterpart funding.

In particular, the project promised to provide a hazardous waste disposal site adjacent to the Harold Road landfill, institutional support for the agency executing the disposal and an environmental health education and awareness programme. The project also promised to provide for disposal facilities in Abaco, Andros, Bimini, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Great Exuma, Grand Bahama, Inagua, Long Island and San Salvador, according to The Tribune’s archives.

According to IDB officials, certain “public policy recommendations” were issued as a result of that project, which included “financial sustainability of a landfill, environmental sustainability, and raising awareness of education among Bahamians of the importance of proper solid waste management.”

“Nothing was done,” Mr McCartney said yesterday. “The Bahamian people are paying back that loan and to date have paid in excess of $15m with no results. You and I pay that loan back today, and what do we have? A dump that’s burning, people are getting sick, people have to evacuate the homes, businesses have to close. That’s what we got, for the $35m. Where did the $35m go?

“I’m pointing fingers because I have to help pay that money back. Just like we want to know where the VAT money gone under the PLP, I want to know where the $35m gone under the FNM.”

The city dump has been plagued with recurring fires for years. Renew Bahamas was engaged by the government in 2014 to manage the landfill and help address the matter.

However, Renew Bahamas pulled out of that deal last year claiming low profitability. The government has still not clarified the circumstances surrounding Renew’s withdrawal.

“Every year this time the dump burns,” Mr McCartney said. “This ain’t nothing new. But you had all the PLP ministers and Prime Minister out there (on Sunday) scratching their head like they lost, lost as the day is long. The PLP has done nothing in relation to remediating or fixing this dump.”

He added: “Couple months ago when the dump was burning, I put out a call from this office for a class action suit against the government. I reiterate that call again. Persons have lost their homes, persons are having health issues, as a matter of fact the values of the homes are being devalued tremendously.

“So I go back to that call that I made months ago for a class action suit against this government for those persons who have been affected by the dump.”

Last April, FNM Tall Pines candidate and attorney Donald Saunders said several residents of that community were planning to take legal action against the government and “whatever parties necessary” as a result of the recurrent fires at the landfill site.

Additionally, residents expressed their frustration to The Tribune about the frequent fires at the time, with one person outlining her plans to leave the country to avoid struggling with major health issues brought on as a result of heavy smoke in western New Providence.