The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) has closed a section of Antigua’s western coastline between Seaforth Beach and Pinching Bay over suspected contamination linked to the nearby Cooks Landfill.
Fishing, sea bathing and all recreational and commercial activities have been suspended in the area until further notice.
Deputy Director Craig Cole said the move followed advice from the Ministry of Legal Affairs as investigations continue into the source and extent of the pollution.
The alert was triggered on Thursday after an oily substance was reported on the water’s surface at Hanson’s Bay. The Marine Pollution Committee was activated, deploying containment buoys and collecting water samples for testing at the Government laboratory.
Preliminary findings point to possible leakage from the landfill, and authorities have diverted water flow away from the affected cove. Cole also cited illegal dumping of raw sewage and other waste as a potential contributing factor, with police now investigating those reports.
Officials are awaiting laboratory results to determine the next steps and have urged the public to comply with the closure to protect public health and the marine environment.
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What leakage? This was decades of government mismanagement and willful negligence that saw sewage trucks passing though check points to go dump raw sewage over the southern and South Western end of the landfill in broad daylight. Over the years they started also dumping oils. Oils AND SEWAGE didn’t just “leak” by themselves. It was dumped!
It is a shame the government doesn’t support Local Oils, which collects oil for so many places and recycle it in to usable products. This government says they support local businesses but the man who owns it is a black man who the Syrians with the help of government try to destroy. Shame Gaston shame. The power plant dumps the oil everyone knows that. Black man will always suffer!
How much going to be paid to cover up this. Gaston go and see the amount of oil there! This government pretends to care about environment but they only care about one thing their pocket!
So we’re closing a section of the coastline, but we’re not saying anything much about the land source, such as preventing trucks etc from being able to access/dump in certain areas. A sanitary landfill as they like to claim it as, has procedures and protocols to minimize environmental effects.
Beyond the Cooks site there needs to be better monitoring of other wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas from illegal dumping.
Our government really good everyone know that truck below to Dougie but he Dumping Hadeed oil plant oil if it was Harney oil Gaston would be all over the radio killing the black man! Money rules Antigua suffer!
Nothing new to see here folks. It’s the norm, as in being reactive versus proactive when it comes to long term planning regarding, the nation’s infrastructure.
PPP Piss Poor Planning
PPM – Piss Poor Management
…and. in a million different ways they violate the laws,
…these good citizens are the architects, of economic slavery!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg 🦶🏿 Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
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