ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—The Ministry of Infrastructure on Thursday launched an EC$7 million (One Ec dollar = 0.37 cents) project on the islands of 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 islets when it battered the southern Caribbean on July 01.
Implemented through the Ministries for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique Affairs, and Local Government, with guidance from the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority, this three-month project will address the proper waste management of the huge quantities of hurricane-derived debris after the hurricane’s passage.
“The Solid Waste Management Authority will guide the project and will provide expertise in the Solid Waste Management Act and other laws of Grenada related to the proper management of waste,” said Nickoli Boyke, Assistant Communications Officer at the GSWMA.
He explained that the project, labeled as “Project Pristine,” will adopt a multi-sector approach involving 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 to remove containers that can become breeding sites for mosquitoes.
Boyke said that several government-operated playing fields will be used as temporary holding areas during the project. Some waste materials are expected to be recycled and refused, while others will be discarded using industrial waste collection methods.
Climate Change Minister Kerryne James said open areas are best suited to temporarily store the waste once they are far from 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, the Member of Parliament for Carriacou and Petite Martinique and also the Minister for the constituency, said this project will help the area return 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.
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