One of the best move by the Government was to create the Naboro Landfill to manage waste, says Paul Evers.
Mr Evers, who is the general manager of HG Leach (Fiji) Pte Ltd, compared the Naboro landfill to the former landfill in Lami, saying that it was an uncontained, unregulated and an uncontrolled site where solid waste was placed.
He said the Lami dump was emitting huge amounts of metal into the harbour thereby posing harm and risk to the residents in the vicinity.
“The Lami dump is still leaching into Suva harbour all these years later,” Mr Evers said.
Leachate is the liquid formed when waste breaks down in the dump and water filters through that waste. This liquid is highly toxic and can pollute the land, ground water and water ways. Mr Evers explained that the former dump site in Lami had burnt several times releasing toxic fumes.
The Lami dump received waste for more than 50 years before a major fire broke out in emitting highly toxic smoke in 2005. The outbreak of fire at a dump may largely be attributed to methane, a substance created from organic material such as food scraps and green waste which has been disposed in the dump. It is also a flammable gas that can become dangerous if allowed to build up. Furthermore, during the announcement of the 2019/2020
National Budget, the AttorneyGeneral and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the Naboro Landfill would be entering phase two of construction. A total funding of $5 million has been allocated to this construction. HG Leach (Fiji) was awarded the contract for the operations and management of the Naboro dump for the Department for Environment. The contract comprises of the overall management and operation of the dumpsite and gate office.