If it’s true that government knew toxic fumes measured at the dump exceeded the limits for such and kept silent about it as claimed in Dutch daily newspaper de Volkskrant, the entire Leona Romeo-Marlin Cabinet and especially Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Miklos Giterson as well as Minister of Public Health, Social Affairs and Labour VSA Emil Lee have some explaining to do. It’s one thing not to want to cause panic, but quite another to keep information on potential threats to people’s wellbeing from them.
The World Bank, which manages the St. Maarten Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund made available by the Netherlands, arranged for the air qualify study at the frequently smoking landfill and “baby” Irma dump. However, that could never be a legitimate reason or excuse for lack of transparency in this matter.
To the contrary, such international institutions are to be held to the highest standards and should actively encourage openness in public affairs. While priority number one is obviously the project to remove the most hazardous waste and stop the fires, in the meantime citizens deserve to remain informed so they can take whatever immediate precautions may be possible for them.
Of course, nobody should be that surprised by the reported findings. With decades of very little to no waste separation and a fast-developing tourism economy, one would be a bit naïve to think all that trash especially burning under- and/or above-ground is not harmful.
The latter has now apparently been confirmed. That merely means finally tackling the problem in a sustainable, structural manner has become more urgent than ever.
