Guanapo Landfill blaze under control

The blazing inferno that was the Guanapo Landfill in Arima, which posed serious threats to the surrounding villages for the past week is finally being stabilised. General Earth Movers (GEM) Limited has been subcontracted by SWMCOL to manage the situation.

A workman at the site, who declined to be named, stated that Integrated Waste Management Systems, the company that runs the facility on behalf of state-owned Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL), contacted the company on Friday afternoon. He noted that GEM supplied dirt and equipment which would be used to control the fire.

Backfilling the earth where the fire has ravaged, is scheduled to be completed within the next 72 hours. The workman said that 20,000 yards of dirt are required to complete the exercise, and there is already 8,000 yards on the compound. Although the dump is currently closed, all of the workers are being used for the damage control exercise.

Up to yesterday afternoon, a thick cloud of smoke was still visible over the landfill, with a few visible inflamed patches. Villagers have gone back to their daily routine of collecting scrap metal for resale. However, most of them raised concerns about the level of hazardous fumes being emitted from the waste site.

Meanwhile, authorities at SWMCOL have said the main concern was to get the fire under control and after such time the Environmental Management Authority would be contacted.