By Tyrone Reid, Staff ReporterRESIDENTS OF Greater Portmore in St. Catherine, who are still being choked by wind-blown soot from the processing of sugar at the Bernard Lodge division of the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ), are now blaming their housing developers for the problem.
Yesterday, at a meeting staged by concerned citizens from various citizens' associations at the 100 Man Greater Portmore Police Station, the annoyed residents came to the consensus that their realtors should have forewarned them about the inconvenience and health hazards of being in close proximity to the factory.
The Greater Portmore housing developments, which started some 12 years ago, were undertaken by different developers.
"They (developers) should bear the blame because they sell us puss in a basket," said one man, in support of the notion.
The move to turn the heat on the real estate developers has the support of Public Defender Howard Hamilton, who said the SCJ should also come on-board the campaign.
"I am willing and anxious to take it up ... I think it has to be a joint effort," said Mr. Hamilton.
There was even talk of the filing of a lawsuit against the developers but a more amicable approach took precedence. Mr. Hamilton told The Gleaner that litigation should not be the first option. "It is always better to settle something than go to court."
ASH ARRESTERS
However, this does not mean that the SCJ is off the hook. The residents are still demanding that in the interim the SCJ should do what it can to ease their woes. In August last year, the SCJ told the citizens that they had installed two ash arresters in its chimneys to address the wind-blown soot problem. Also, it promised that four others would be installed prior to the start of the 2004 crop, which began in January.
Yesterday, John Gayle, operations manager at the Bernard Lodge division, told the residents at the meeting that of the two ash arresters installed only one was operational. The other four have not yet been installed and the completion date has been extended to 2006. "If ash is the concern, our proposal is the installation of ash arresters. To complete that process, it will not happen until 2006," said Mr. Gayle. "We will be dead by that time," a resident responded.
Mr. Gayle explained that without the ash arresters particles from the burned bagasse would escape from the chimney. The arresters reduce the amount of debris and emission significantly, so that all the particles should return to the boiler for complete burning.
Rainford Webber, president of the Three North Citizens' Association, one of the affected communities, told The Gleaner that the long-standing problem was threatening to cause a massive exodus.
