The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has declared that the fire at the Riverton City dump should be fully extinguished by the start of the weekend.
Jennifer Edwards, Executive Director of the NSWMA, disclosed on Tuesday night that the agency had managed to mobilise much needed resources to battle the blaze which began on Saturday at the tipping site.
In the meantime, Edwards has asserted that agency officials will be turning their attention to activities involving persons on the disposal site. She said one measure, to be implemented, will seek to control and account for the number of persons that have access to, or enter the disposal site to scavenge.
The agency will also be undertaking a review of the current security arrangements, which include members of the Jamaica Defence Force, the Police and the private s ecurity company contracted to secure the disposal site.
This is the second time in the last two months that the Riverton City dump, the country's largest waste disposal site, has been deliberately set on fire, causing widespread respiratory discomfort for residents in affected communities as well as commuters. It has also taken significant toll on the financial resources of the state while causing the relevant emergency response agencies to devote considerable time and manpower to the response effort.
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