DAM SHAME - Portland tragedy site desecrated by illegal dumping

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Portland:

A site forever etched in the memory of Portlanders following the tragic loss of 14 lives in a horrific 2008 truck accident has been turned into an illegal dumping ground, sparking concerns about environmental pollution, public health risks, and the desecration of a memorial dedicated to the victims.

Dam Bridge in the Rio Grande Valley, Portland, where a market truck carrying higglers to Kingston’s Coronation Market plunged into a ravine in December 2008, is now overwhelmed by garbage, despite efforts to preserve the location in honour of those who perished, including a 10-year-old boy.

The Portland Municipal Corporation had sought to preserve the spot by erecting a plaque bearing the names of the deceased, ensuring that their memory would remain honoured. However, the solemnity of the memorial has been overshadowed by the growing accumulation of refuse being indiscriminately dumped down the steep embankment.

Among the discarded items are old refrigerators, tyres, sanitary pads, baby diapers, plastic bottles, used condoms, furniture, electrical appliances, coconut husks, clothing, motor vehicle parts and construction debris.

The more than 150-foot drop from the roadway to the rushing stream below has effectively become a garbage chute, with the waste creating conditions conducive to the breeding of flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, centipedes, rats and other rodents.

THREATS TO PUBLIC HEALTH

Beyond the unsightly conditions, there are growing fears about the potential impact on surrounding waterways, particularly as the stream below flows into the Rio Grande, raising concerns about pollution and possible threats to public health.

“We have visited the area several times and met with residents to sensitise them about the importance of proper garbage disposal and also how to store their garbage until the truck comes to collect,” an official at the Ministry of Health’s Port Antonio office told The Gleaner.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the area was cleaned recently, but the situation has deteriorated significantly since then.

“We have also been having dialogue with the Portland Municipal Corporation to see how best we can address this chronic situation in the shortest possible time, as our waterways are also being impacted by the illegal dumping. It is very bad and we are fearful that it could get worse. People are dumping everything down the gully, which is filtered into the stream below, including dead animals,” the official added.

Port Antonio Mayor Paul Thompson has condemned the practice, insisting that residents must take responsibility for disposing of their garbage properly.

Thompson warned that the continued dumping could create conditions for a serious public health crisis, while describing the desecration of the accident site as particularly troubling, given its significance to the community.

“Have we lost our civic pride? This is the same area where 14 people perished in a truck accident, which has been preserved in their memory,” stated Thompson.

He said the area is repeatedly cleaned, only for residents to return under the cover of darkness to dump more refuse.

“As fast as the area is cleaned of its waste, residents are back out there in the dead of night dumping garbage into the gully, which rolls down into our waterways ... . And that polluted stream, just down below, filters out into the Rio Grande. This kind of practice is unacceptable and we will have to apply anti-dumping regulations,” he said.

“Anyone caught dumping garbage in that area will be prosecuted,” the mayor warned.

However, some residents have disputed suggestions that inadequate garbage collection is contributing to the problem, arguing that the collection truck visits the area regularly and removes waste in a timely manner.

“A nuh garbage truck a cause dis,” said Doreen Hill.

She maintained that the problem stemmed from irresponsible disposal practices, warning that the consequences could extend far beyond Dam Bridge.

“Garbage truck come here quite often, so a just nasty dem nasty. A stream is below di gully, so everything that is dumped just finds its way into the stream, which exits into the Rio Grande. The water treatment plant at Grants Level is along that pathway on the other side. So all a we soon dead from drinking polluted water,” she said.

editorial@gleanerjm.com