In
response to complaints about dust nuisance in the Queen's Road area of
Highway 2000 in Runaway Bay, a representative from the Enforcement Unit
of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) made one of
several routine visits to the area as recently as Monday of last week.
Mr. Kurt Wedderburn advised that discussions were held with
Mr. Gustavo Arroyo on site about the need to ensure that controls for
dust are put in place and used on a consistent basis in adherence with
the conditions of the operating permit, so that the dust will not
continue to be a nuisance.
The Enforcement Unit
had visited the location on November 18 and 25, 2004 where members of
the funding body and other relevant parties were present. The operators
are hamstrung by an irregular public supply of water and have resorted
to sprinkling the road surface largely with water that they provide.
They admit that often times this water also runs out. It has also been
identified that the problem of the dust occurs largely when there is a
start up after the equipment has broken down and the dust that had
settled in the crushing plant then filters into the air and when there
are high winds.
Operations were re
started on Thursday of last week and NEPA wishes to assure the affected
community that the Agency has been monitoring the activities there
closely and will continue to do so in their interest.
