Overnight last night, the smoke from the fire at Riverton City worsened. Even with all windows and doors closed and quite some distance from the dump (no, it is not a landfill) we were choking. For those with asthma and similar conditions it was, of course, much worse.
This afternoon a press briefing took place, prior to which the following was released. The press briefing did not seem to answer many questions: The police are investigating the cause of the fire (sometimes they are set deliberately, it is said) and the government is busy coordinating a multi-sectoral response.
Here is the press release sent by the Prime Minister’s Office this afternoon.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has instructed that the Minister of State in the Ministry of the Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan immediately provide Ministerial coordination for the multi-agency effort now underway to control and extinguish the fire at the Riverton City landfill in the Corporate Area which has blanketed the city with smoke, and to provide a comprehensive report to the country.
The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has also been mandated to provide progress reports to the Prime Minister today and over the weekend, and to submit a Report on the matter to Cabinet on Monday.
The Hon. Colin Fagan will lead a media briefing at Jamaica House this afternoon to update the country on the matter. Also providing information at the briefing will be the Director of the Meteorological Office, Mr Jeffrey Spooner; Dr. Sonia Copeland of the Ministry of Health; Director General of the Office of the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Major Clive Davis; and Chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Mr. Steve Ashley.
The Prime Minister is expressing grave concerns for the health of residents in the Corporate Area, particularly those living, working and attending schools in the vicinity of the landfill and persons with respiratory illnesses.
“We have to take all steps possible to ensure the health of the population and especially the children,” the Prime Minister said. Mrs. Simpson Miller is urging persons who can avoid locations near to the landfill to do so and for residents in the Corporate Area to stay indoors where possible.
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