Unnatural disasters

By Garth A. Rattray

We are into the hurricane season, and because successive governments have not dealt appropriately with the perennial problem of squatters occupying areas vulnerable to disasters, as well as widespread building-code violations, soon we will probably hear tragic tales of deaths from buildings and people being washed away by floods.

Additionally, we have also been warned that Jamaica is (geologically) due for a massive earthquake. Because of lax regulatory mechanisms, we can expect many deaths from this also.

Not too long ago, Ronald Jackson, director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, made an important point that many victims of natural disasters break laws by occupying extremely vulnerable locations. For the safety of the people concerned, he wants the Government to become vigilant and enforce the relevant laws in order to protect the poor (from themselves).

Some people construct various structures (single-room dwellings or multi-storey, multi-purpose edifices made of material ranging from wood to concrete blocks and steel) in precarious and even perilous places. They carry out deforestation that causes flooding and/or landslides.

Some build on poor substrata that can undergo liquefaction during an earthquake. Others perch dwellings on the edge of precipices and rivers. All this illegal and dangerous construction takes place under the (supposedly) watchful eyes of our various parish councils and the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation. Obviously, these authorities lack proper monitoring abilities and accountability.

Another dangerous and blatant activity that is cause for concern is the habitual dumping of refuse (household garbage, industrial waste, bagged excrement, deceased pets and malfunctioning appliances) into our gullies. This infraction is often committed by people who are already flouting the law by constructing dwellings directly on the edge of wastewater gullies.

Mounds of garbage

In fact, the numerous mounds of garbage point towards the places from which they are deposited, yet no prosecution ever takes place. Instead, the authorities allow the stuff to pile up until rainwater flushes them downstream where they block the drainage system or are washed out to sea where they do irreparable damage to our island's fragile and essential coastline ecosystem.

Then there was that exposé on 'Balancing Justice' (aired Tuesdays 9 to 10 p.m. on RJR 94 FM) with attorney-at-law André Earle. The topic covered the National Solid Waste Management Authority's (NSWMA) mismanagement of the Riverton disposal site and some of the resultant deleterious health consequences.

Aside from the fact that human beings and lower animals (including ungulates - some of which are livestock) browse the toxic refuse unencumbered, the disposal site operates as a dump, and not as the landfill that it was supposed to be. The NSWMA blames financial constraint for having areas of the 'dump' uncovered and, therefore, posing a serious environmental and health hazard. Harmful materials are finding their way into the food chain, soil, aquifer and the nearby sea.

The uncovered garbage either spontaneously ignites or is lit by unknown persons repeatedly. Smoke, harmful gaseous chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs - that can cause a variety of cancers in adults and children, bone-marrow failure, damage to the eyes, skin, lungs, liver, nerves, brain, pancreas and even foetal malformations), are released into surrounding commercial and residential communities.

Whenever fires erupt at the dump, I see clusters of patients from the 'very high-risk' and 'high-risk' zones (Seaview Gardens, Duhaney Park, Cooreville Gardens and Washington Gardens) with moderate to severe, upper and lower-respiratory tract problems (especially rhinosinusitis and asthma).

It's full time that our politicians prevent these unnatural disasters. They are not doing the poor any favours by allowing them to squat and build wherever they please. And, I wager that if the garbage fires were mainly affecting upscale neighbourhoods, funds would be raised or sourced to prevent them.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.