Mausica residents facing toxic smoke from 'La Basse'

RESIDENTS of Andrews Lane, Mausica are seeking help with a development site which has become a dumping ground and continues to smoulder after a fire on Friday.

Resident Kaloutie Amann told Newsday at the site that the developer was filling up the land to sell it but people were dumping rubble and garbage. She said scavengers were also coming on the land and burning the rubbish and last week the fire was so severe that a fire truck had to put it out.

"It caught the neighbour mango and coconut tree on fire."

She said there were residents with asthma and lung infections which they believed was due to the constant smoke.

"It is still smoking today."

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said the site on Eighth Street was about the size of football field and bordered a gully and claimed the developer was filling in the gully with a mixture of dirt, concrete, tiles and building materials. He also claimed the developer was dumping garbage, wood, trees and other things and placing dirt atop it. He said, however, that people started dumping garbage, old car seats, sponge, plastic soft drink bottles, NP lubricants, paints on the unsecured site and the toxic materials once lit gave off black toxic smoke.

"The fires are not new. The (Tunapuna/Piarco) regional authority is very aware."

He said fires had been going on for months and there was a major fire last Friday though it was not known who started it. He added that when there is a "La Basse" in your backyard people start lighting fires to get scrap iron.

"Fire Services came. The flames were 15-20 feet high. It was black. You couldn't even see the houses."

Councillor for La Florissante/Cleaver Judy Garner said the corporation CEO instructed its public health officer, building inspector and engineer to investigate the issue and the officials visited the site Thursday. Garner said she was awaiting feedback from the visit.

"We are awaiting information from the outcome (of the visit) and course of action we have to take."