Wheatley apologises over Pockwood Pond smoke

File photo Health Minister Vincent Wheatley has apologised to First District residents for persistent smoke from the Pockwood Pond landfill, acknowledging their suffering and announcing plans to test a new method to tackle the problem. Speaking on the government’s Virgin Islands Voice programme, Wheatley said he receives daily complaints about conditions at the landfill and has been searching for a solution. “I really empathise with the people in the First District. I get the complaints every day,” Wheatley stated. “I don’t know how they could stand it. I couldn’t stand smoke for five minutes. ” The minister said First District Representative Dr Karl Dawson has also been raising the matter with him regularly.

Wheatley addressed the issue after a viewer asked what the government intended to do about the landfill, which the viewer described as constantly burning or smoking and causing serious health problems in surrounding communities. The minister said he and the Director of Waste Management had recently attended a waste management conference in Grenada, where they consulted experts on possible solutions. “We have a methodology we’re going to try,” Wheatley stated. He cautioned, however, that the proposed approach had not yet been tested and its effectiveness remained uncertain. “Whether it will work or not, we’re not sure yet,” Wheatley stated. According to the minister, the proposed intervention requires a bulldozer, which officials expected to test this week.…