Measures must be taken at Ornamibo ASAP

“The situation at the Ornamibo Garbage Dump has been under control since October 20 but precautionary measures must be taken as soon as possible to prevent things from getting out of control again,” Fire Department Spokesman Ulrich Coats told Times of Suriname. “On October 20 the situation at Ornamibo was completely under control but on October 27 the Fire Department received a call about a small fire and smoke in the vicinity. Fortunately it was handled within a few hours and the worst was prevented from happening but if the safety is not beefed up and if precautionary measures are not taken at the garbage dump soon, we will keep having to put out small fires in the hope that all will end well,” said Coats who added that the Fire Department Suriname (KBS) has put together a plan which has already been presented to the government to prevent fires and other calamities at Ornamibo. “Everything at the garbage dump must be segmented. This means that the garbage must not be dumped on all pile but that segments must be created and that there must be a road width of 6 meters between the segments so that the garbage dump can be accessed easily and fast. Security cameras must also be installed and the temperature must constantly be checked. One of the most important things that must be done is a meeting with the trash pickers so that they can know how to guarantee their safety and the safety of others. They must also receive training so that they can know when something is wrong at the garbage dump,” said Coats. An official complaint was filed at the police station in response to the fire that was started at Ornamibo a few weeks ago and which raged throughout the garbage dump for several weeks. The investigation is reportedly ongoing. “The authorities are still trying to determine the exact cause of the fire which held the nation in its grip for several weeks,” said Coats who added that the KBS strongly advises against burning of trash. “We keep giving information to people and we advise to refrain from burning their trash,” said Coats who added that various dangerous chemicals are released when trash is burned and that these chemicals could affect the health of people who are exposed to the smoke. A 2014 report by atmospheric scientist Christine Wiedinmyer suggests that burning trash isn’t just bad for human health -- it could pump more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than had been realized.