Help coming? UK officials tour Pockwood Pond waste facility
The BVI may soon get some assistance to deal with longstanding issues at the Pockwood Pond waste facility on Tortola. This hope follows a tour that United Kingdom officials did at the territory’s main waste facility on June 20.
Health Minister Vincent Wheatley and Governor John Rankin also participated and showed officials the work being done at the site and where challenges exist.
Acting Manager for the Department of Waste Management, Neville Allen, said one of the main issues at the site is the lack of a functioning incinerator. Because of this, Allen said waste processing is labour intensive.
He said he hopes UK officials can help the BVI to source another incinerator. Governor John Rankin said his aim is to get an incinerator that can produce energy for the national grid as it processes waste.
“It’s an environment issue, its an economic issue but if we can get it right, we can make it better for everyone living here,” Governor Rankin said.
Health Minister Vincent Wheatley said he intends to permanently solve the longstanding issues at Pockwood Pond. He said an incinerator that produces energy as it processes waste would help the BVI to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions as well as it’s carbon footprint.
One of the officials from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office who toured the site – Dr. Vijay Rangarajan – said there are many possibilities to convert waste to energy at the Pockwood Pond site. He also said his office is looking at ways it can assist the BVI with its waste management.
“We’re looking forward to the UK helping in any way that it can to help the BVI be as beautiful as it can be,” Rangarajan said.
Pockwood Pond has been identified as a national hazard. Many residents complain about the health challenges they experience when the dump produces smoke. Successive governments have bemoaned the issues at the landfill and have even admitted that the dump could have long-term effects on residents. However, a permanent solution has never been identified to stem the problems at the landfill.
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Yet we hate those white men, those colonizers. Will Sowande play nice
… is that the incinerator site does not have a functioning incinerator! Otherwise there are no problems!
Laughable to say that “one of the main issues is the lack of a functioning incinerator”. Is that the main issue at the site? Or, is the main issue an abject lack of interest by successive administrations over the last 40 year in developing and implementing a cohesive territory wide waste management policy. Seems like a no-brainer for any place that imports more than 90% oi its goods. Other than those unfortunate enough to live near Pockwood Pond, BVI voters don’t appear to care so long as there are dumpsters neaby for their garbage that then becomes some else’s responsibility.
Exactly how long has the incinerator been down this time? Oh sure, you can say no money, or no expertise, but the real answer is there is no political will to fix it. Probably the same reason the incinerator sat for 10 years rusting in crates back in the 90s waiting for someone to assemble it after it was purchased. Who buys industrial equipment without commissioning it? Then a local contractor (what kind of expertise did they have in incinerators) was paid $ 1 million to wire it up.
Waste to energy (WTE) projects are good ideas in principle but depend on quantity (does the Tortola generate enough waste for such a project to make economic sense?), and waste stream (WTE incinerators can’t burn everything that goes in dumpsters around here). Has anyone conducted a WTE feasability study? Too true that it’s labor intensive to sort wastes, but you’ll never get people here segregating their waste, and you probably would never have belongers sorting waste at Pockwood either.
Waste management is a critical issue. High time it received the necessary attention. Monies spent on developing and impementing a sustainable waste management system would be well spent. But will it happen is the question. Many have been waiting now for 4 decades or more.
What has been discussed here was suggested many times, but Government continued to hold and pay monies to a company that has been ignoring them for years, are they finally waking up, why did they not ask for assistance sooner, are we to proud.
Really now, are you telling me these racist b* are lifting a finger to help these ungrateful b*. If the UK contributing money which I hope not, then contribute 250,000 less. Let the embaciles find the rest. As a matter of fact don’t use the UK tax payers money to help these Governor hating clowns.
Just a guess but “Dr. Vijay Rangarajan” may possibly not be a white man.
Finally after 25 years of nothing we may get some help from the oppressors
Recycle
Yep, but it’s the same people we want help from. I don’t understand why in this time and age, there is so much hate for white people….how can you blame them, when they are not the ones that enslaved our people HUNDREDS of years ago. The same energy that is put into hating the white man should be put into fighting gun violence.
It’s remarkable with all this talk about independence we still need the UK to help us out with stuff we are supposed to be in charge of.
What happened to the billions of Government revenue paid in since the 1980s?
But thank you for the continued and further assistance UK. Ordinary residents here, expat and local, appreciate it.
IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR , THE BRITS USED TO CALL THE GERMANS (SQUARE HEADS ) NOW WE
WE HAVE A SQUARE HEAD FELLOW WITH A WIG , PUSHING HIS RACISM DAY AND NIGHT WRITING ABMND BLOGGING TO WHATEVER SH*T HE THINKS THE PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE , BUT HE WON’T COMMENT ON THE REAL ISSUES ( THE NERD EVEN DID A NUMBER ON THE 3RD, HE WAS THE SNAKE I THE GRASS THAT WORKED WITH COACH TO OVERTHROW HIM , SO WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT ? THATS A VERY DANGEROUS ? AND VINDICTIVE INDIVIDUAL WHEN IT WASN’T THE GOVERNOR , IT WAS BORIS OR THE COLONIALISTS JUST TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
burning and venting all the fumes is still an issue
Vincent did you brought them to VG and show our disaster of distroying our beautiful hill side.It’s the first thing you see on arrival and the last thing when leaving.You need to stop pushing garbage over the hill side now
It is rather ironic that now my suggestion about burning garbage to produce electricity is being explored. As i said before the Isle of Man has such a power plant and they should ask them to come and see if a similar system can be set up in the BVI.
This hopefully makes it desperately clear that the BWIs is not ready for independence..WE NEED HELP!
Don’t play stupid and act dumb. No matter the color of the person who is sent here fron the UK….tola people label all UK nationals as the white man and colonial rulers **eye roll**
@ The Truth: You’re not the first to suggest a WTE in Tortola…but AFIK there never has been any serious feasibility study. As to the Isle of Man (IoM) project you refer to, consider that IoM generates 100 million tons of waste with a population that is three times larger. Secondly, they use two incinerators, and thirdly, its success depends heavily on waste segregation.
In 2016, BVIEC generated about 126,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) whereas IoM WTE puts in about 20,000 MWh per year into the grid. So a similar WTE could make a meaningful contribution of about 20%. (See https://suez.co.im/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SUEZIOM-AnnualPublicReport-2021-web.pdf) But, would it be economically feasible once capital costs, maintenance and depreciation are factored in. Assume a unit rate of 0.40 per KwH, the return on an IoM WTE works to be about $8 /million per year, once the system is up and running. From an energy generation standpoint, quite possibly, solar (fewer moving parts) might be a more cost efficient way to generate energy, meaning that a WTE project mighty only be good for reducing wastes to be landfilled.
My whole point is who (if anyone at all) is looking at waste management issues or even how the Territory could be more energu efficient.
…in Town…so wah bout your pardna Carpin’s mobile incinerator thingy?!? If that was the best solution and ayo is one party; why that ain’t flying now? Cause it was dumb from the get go and the #’s were waaaaaaay off. A National Waste Management Policy is needed and one that is viable long-term. Imagine countries with less solar gains than the BVI have alternative energies sectors and recycling legislation- ayo just dead weights mehson.
YOU SEEMS TO MAKE A LOT OF SENSE , BUT THAT WILL BE AN UPHILL BATTLE , WITH THE AMOUNT OF CORRUPTION AND IGNORANCE , THAT HAS TAKEN OVER THE MINDS OF THOSE WHO THE PEOPLE CHOOSED TO LEAD THEM , SINCE THERE IS DEFINITELY A LACK OF INTEGRITY WITHIN THEMSELVES AND AMONGST THEMSELVES ? / GREED AND THEIR QUEST FOR POWER IS ANOTHER OBSTACLE COURSE / AND THE LAST ELECTION WAS A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF IT
UK being bending over to assist us, in spite of what some may believe, the Problem wasn’t UK. The Problem was the XP and CSC, who had no respect for the governor, the XP was so hateful and disrespectful he refused, 300 mil, monies well needed, now we are suffering, no one wants to lend us money because our name is dirty..
The mountain of garbage is not the only issue. Attitudes and habits must also metamorphose into something more compatible with the environment and human society.