by Linda Straker
- “Project Pristine” will involve education, agriculture and business sectors
- Playing fields operated by Government will be used as temporary holding areas
- Waste generated from hurricane is significant
The Ministry of Infrastructure has launched an EC$7 million project in Carriacou and Petite Martinique to clean up and remove debris caused or created by Hurricane Beryl, which ravaged the housing stock and environment of these Grenadine islands when it battered the southern Caribbean on 1 July.
Implemented through the Ministries for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy and Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs and Local Government with guidance from the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA), this 3-month project will address the proper waste management of the huge quantities of hurricane derived debris post the passage of the hurricane.
“The project will be guided by the Solid Waste Management Authority who will give expertise in the solid waste management Act and other laws of Grenada as it relates to the proper management of waste,” said Nickoli Boyke, Assistant Communications Officer at GSWMA.
He explained that the project, which is labelled as “Project Pristine,” will adopt a multi-sector approach that will involve the education, agriculture, and business sectors. “We will be approaching each sector to address their waste management concerns and how we properly dispose of the waste effectively,” he said.
Among the objectives are to ensure that no illegal dump sites are established by people who are seeking to get rid of hurricane waste and the removal of containers that can become breeding sites for mosquitoes.
Speaking at the project’s launch on Thursday, 8 August, Boyke said that several of the government-operated playing fields will be used as temporary holding areas during the project’s duration. Some of the waste materials are expected to be recycled and reused, while others will be discarded using industrial waste collection methods.
Climate Change Minister Kerryne James said that open areas are best suited to temporarily store the waste once they are not close to animal habitats and water storage. “Once we have an open area where there is not much animal use as their habitat and that includes birds and animals and even if there is no water storage, it is best suited …and it will contribute to managing our ecosystem post the hurricane,” she said.
Tevin Andrews, who is the Member of Parliament for Carriacou and Petite Martinique and also serves as the minister for the constituency, said that this project will assist in the area returning to its pre-hurricane days. “The waste generated from the hurricane is significant as 90% of our housing stock was damaged, so that in itself is a lot of household and construction waste that needs to be removed,” he said.
