Dump spill poses danger to heritage site

THE Department of Environment has expressed concern over garbage from the Sigatoka dump spilling into the Sigatoka Sand Dunes.

While speaking at a Waste Management and Pollution Control Roundtable in Nadi, director of environment Sandeep Singh said those concerns were raised by the administrators of the National

Trust of Fiji.

“We have had many conversations with people at the National Trust of Fiji and they informed us that the dump that is being used by the Sigatoka Town Council is located very close to the National Trust of Fiji site,” she said.

“What we have been told is that the dump site is now spilling into the Sand Dunes and we are very concerned about that.

“So we at the Department of Environment are very concerned about how that dump is managed and the location of that dump.

“These are the things that need to be addressed and we understand that it cannot be done overnight.”

She said the Department was very aware that major landfills across the country were located near prime locations.

“All dumps in Fiji are located in areas that are super sensitive like some are next to the ocean and others are found in important sites such as the Sigatoka Sand Dunes,”

Ms Singh said.

“It is our responsibility that these surrounding environments are kept safe and are protected from pollution.

“We have been urging all of the relevant stakeholders to find solutions that could address this problem of rubbish spilling into the heritage site.”

Sigatoka Town Council health inspector Saiyad Shah said the council was searching for new landfill sites.