PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — For 4 months the trenches haven’t been cleaned because the contracts expired since December 2021 and until this day they haven’t been renewed. The amount of pollution that goes into the ponds when it rains is big and it heads into the sea when the Government open up the Fresh pond to drop the pond level.
All the plastic and Styrofoam items will kill many fishes and turtles in the ponds or sea if we allow this to continue. Also many trenches like the Rolandus channel, Belvedere trenches, Ring road, arch road (by pool bar) trenches and many other trenches around the island aren’t hard surfaces and are growing closed.
Lastly many culverts (pipes under the roads etc.) are mostly blocked up with sand, rocks and stray garbage, causing lots of water remaining on the roads. Acting head of VROMI Charlon Pompier, acting SG Kurt Ryan and the Minister of VROMI Doran is urge to get things back under control and open a public tender to renew the expired trench contracts.
In less than 40 days we will be in the 2022 hurricane season.
