St. Maarten Private Eye

Our Island Government does very little to protect the environment or punish polluters so I guess we can only assume they have little interest in cleaning it up. I do not consider Clean St. Maarten picking up garbage on the sides of our roads so our tourists don't see it to be 'cleaning it up'. I dare say that if we didn't have a tourism based economy they would even be doing that.

Just because you can't see pollution doesn't mean it is not there. Toxic and heavy Metals, chemicals, pcb's and more all create soil contamination and very few of them can be seen with the naked eye. Many can and do cause serious illnesses, from rashes and nausea, to cancer and organ failure, depending on the substance and quantity. Building new developments on land contaminated by previous use can be a serious health hazard to those living or working there in the future. There are two such sites that I want to talk about below.

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The first location is the Texaco Bush Road station, closed now for about 6 years. For those of you who weren't here at the time or have forgotten, the station was closed down after it was discovered that underground tanks were leaking and that the ground was heavily polluted. So polluted that the station was cordoned off with security tape and no naked flames or electrical equipment was allowed on the premises.

Of course, the extent of the contamination is unknown to us, the general public, and I am sure we would have a great difficulty getting any information and data about it, if there is any. Naturally, as if often the case here in SXM, I understand there is a legal fight going on over the pollution and who's fault it was, according to the Meyers Family which owns the property, they are waiting for Chevron (Texaco) to remove the their tanks and equipment so they can redevelop.

Bush Road Texaco Station plans - 3rd March 2008

The important thing to note here is that absolutely nothing was said about the contamination of the soil. Maybe the reporter writing the article doesn't know, could be new to the island. I would guess that the Meyers Family wouldn't want to remind anyone either, because comprehensive independent testing and cleaning up could cost a bunch of money which I doubt Texaco will want to pay. This site needs attention before any permits to build on it are granted and the details of who's responsibility it is needs to come out.

The second place I want to mention is Bobby's Marina in Great Bay. Decades of paint and painf dust, fibreglass, resins, chemicals, oils and metals have been laid down on that property, please, if you ever walk around that area when it's windy then cover your mouth from dust. Again we have development being planned for soil that is most likely heavily contaminated. Not one word of any testing has been done. I am assuming that this is probably a task for VROM, no surprise there then, eh?

As I sad above, just because you can't see it does not mean it is not there. There are other places where there is contamination, from personal experience I can tell you that the bottom of the bay in the triangle of Chesterfields to Hodge's Wharf and the Greenhouse is not sand. You have to dig in about 12 inches or more though thick, rubbery, oily, foul smelling black mud stuff first.

Then consider the Salt Pond, how for years there was no barrier around the dump, a dump where everything and anything hasand still is being dumped. Batteries, chemicals, paints, you name anything bad and it's in there. I have no idea what the bottom of the Salt Pond is like and no intention to find out, but I'm sure it's not nice and far from healthy.

The AUC, EPIC, SXM PRIDE and all the other foundations and schools involved in making environmental studies or raising awareness should be applauded, thank you guys! It is appreciated.

Knowing that so little is done by our government to protect not only our environment. but also our health. should leave you concerned and angry. Do you know where your children are playing today?

I titled this post Self Genocide, I was trying to find a word to describe people killing themselves off though their actions and policies. Genocide has many descriptions and definitions but none really meeting my need. I could find no description for Self-Genocide. But in reality, thats what we are doing in St. Maarten, we are poisoning the land and waters, sickening future generations and causing illnesses and early death in ourselves.

A full environmental survey needs to be made of St. Maarten and by a governmentally sanctioned scientific body which specializes in the same. Water samples is a start, but really just confirming what we all know, our lagoon is full of s**t. Water samples should be taken and tested monthly in a variety of places around the island and more importantly, bottom samples, soils and cored samples need to be made too. Testing needs to be made for everything known to be harmful to humans and the environment, metals, chemicals and more.

I know, I'm a dreamer......

Stay safe out there people!

LH

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