PURAN Brothers Waste Disposal Services was yesterday awarded a $12.6M one year contract to operate the landfill site at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.
The award, by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, was inked by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Seewchan and the awardee’s director, Mr. Lakenauth Puran, in the presence of Minister with the portfolio, Mr. Kellawan Lall, in the ministry’s Kingston, Georgetown boardroom.

Seewchan explained that the project will utilise 10 acres of land aback of the village and five acres on the eastern side will be for land filling until the Haags Bosch sanitary facility, on East Bank Demerara, is ready.

He said the latter is expected to be in operation next year and, when that happens, the La Repentir site, in the city, will be closed.

Seewchan pointed out that the landfilling will be done by a combination of trench and area methods and trenches will be dug four feet deep and the filling raised approximately four feet above ordinary ground level.

That would enable the place to accommodate about 16,000 tons of municipal solid waste.

He said work will commence on July 15 and ease the burden on the Le Repentir location, by absorbing an amount of garbage on East Coast Demerara.

Seewchan said the contractor has to collect waste on East Coast Demerara from Monday to Saturday between 08:00 h and 18:00 h and 08:00 h to 12:00 h on Sundays and public holidays but not on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

He said Puran Brothers will also be required to secure the site in a manner which would not generate any environmental or health hazards to persons within the Lusignan area and the contract might be extended based on the performance.

Seewchan disclosed, too, that Government has approved $23M for basic infrastructural work on landfill sites at Bartica, in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni); Parika, in Region Three (West Demerara/ Essequibo Islands) and Charity and Supenaam in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam).

He said, under the Community Health Services Enhancement Programme (CHEP), funding has been set aside for residents to undertake exercises in their own communities.

In addition, Seewchan said the ministry is currently executing an US$18M programme that caters for general disposal of refuse in Georgetown and its environs.

Minister Lall acknowledged that waste disposal is a countrywide problem and said Lusignan will greatly assist in easing the trouble on East Coast Demerara.

He said Government has spent and is spending millions of dollars to remedy the situation and appealed to residents to dispose their refuse in the approved manner.