Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin gave a reasonable explanation regarding the recent alarming story in Dutch daily de Volkskrant about air measurements showing toxic levels at the dump (see related story) that were not released. She said the study commissioned by the World Bank did not include environmental or health repercussions for the surrounding communities.
In fact, its disclaimer explicitly states that these test results and conclusions drawn from them do not contain a reference to or discussion of potential offsite mitigation of so-called “chemicals of concern” or the impact on the area’s population. In other words, the limited research took place directly at the points of greatest concern within the landfill only to assess possible worst-case exposure scenarios for workers who will execute the fires-suppression project.
It was also argued that the draft report belongs to the World Bank, so it’s not St. Maarten’s own to share. This may be formally correct, but if indications did exist of a serious and acute threat to citizens, there would have been little choice but to warn them in the general interest.
The question that remains is why government waited until two days after the story was first published in the Netherlands Monday morning to give its comments. The Daily Herald had made inquiries to Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Miklos Giterson, who is responsible for the landfill but was abroad, both Monday and Tuesday to no avail.
Of course, Wednesday’s weekly press briefing provided an opportunity to clarify matters, but in today’s world of instant digital communication and social media it is best to react more quickly. When issues like these are – perhaps unnecessarily – “left hanging,” it tends to prolong whatever concerns they may raise.
