Miss Shermaine Clauzel, CEHI Programme Officer
The Environmental Department in conjunction with the Ministry of Health will develop a new strategy to manage solid waste on Montserrat. Two members of the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) were on island assisting the government in facilitating the process. The facilitators were Miss Shermaine Clauzel, Programme Officer and Lesmond Magloire, Senior Programme Officer.
Lesmond Magloire, CEHI Senior Programme Officer
A one day consultative workshop attended by workers from the Ministry of Health, the Environmental Health Department, representatives from various organizations and agencies, NGOs, and members of the media was held on Thursday, February 16, at the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) Media Centre in St John’s. The workshop was designed to engage stakeholders in the development of a solid waste strategy for Montserrat.
PS in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Elijah Silcott
Speaking at the opening ceremony Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Elijah Silcott, told the participants that the initiative to develop such a strategy was embedded in the strategic development plan for the ministry of health and is one of the greater goals of the Sustainable Development Plan.
“Early in January we had about 115 or 125 persons within the Methodist community and almost all persons that I interacted with commented on how clean Montserrat was. They said they have never been to such a country where everything looks so clean and nice. So yes we’re saying within our own selves we have challenges but we are doing much better than other persons and we will still want to step the antenna up higher such that we become that standard by which others take pattern after…” Mr. Silcott said at the opening of the workshop.
Principal Environmental Health officer Mr. Trevor Howe explained the importance of the exercise. “This national consultation is a very important one, as we look at the development of a solid waste management strategy for Montserrat over the next 15 years. How many of us would have taught that solid waste if properly manage at all level of society would have a profound and far reaching benefit towards national development and securing a sustainable environment?” he asked.
He told his audience, “Your contribution today in this exercise will no doubt clarify and define a framework that answers the questions of how the service would be provided? Who should provide the service and under what condition does this take place?” he said.
Programme Officer at CEHI Shermaine Clauzel, who presented on the topic ‘Problems with solid waste’, told the participants that improper storage of waste can have a negative impact especially on small Islands. “…as small Islands we have to be particularly concern with solid waste. We don’t have as much land space; industries are next to commercial activities, next to residential properties so we need to be particularly concerned with how we site and how we manage solid waste because everything is right there. The impact would be felt and they would be felt more so than in a larger countries,” she said.
Principal Environmental Health officer Mr. Trevor Howe reporting for his group with Atzumi Kani
Mr. Magloire led on the topic: Waste Strategy Guiding Principles; both of them speaking on the general theme Solid Waste Management Strategy.
Following presentations from both facilitators, participants broke into three groups and presented their findings, opinions and suggestions to inform what is expected to create a new strategy for solid waste management in Montserrat.
The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute is a Technical Institute of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CEHI was established in 1979 by Governments of the Caribbean, to address environmental concerns and further the sustainable development of the region. The Institute’s environmental health mandate focuses on the impacts of human activity on the environment and the consequent effects on human health and the socio-economic development of CARICOM States.
