Minister Harish Monorath of Justice and Security supports the fire brigade’s restrained stance in response to recurring fires at the Ornamibo landfill site. According to the minister, it is not responsible to deploy personnel for days at a time, while the fire flares up again shortly afterwards and structural measures remain absent.
In an interview with Radio ABC, Monorath says the landfill site has now been set on fire four times by waste pickers. He believes the managers must urgently take measures to prevent a recurrence. According to him, prolonged exposure to hazardous smoke poses health risks to firefighters.
Limited capacity under pressure
According to the minister, the Korps Brandweer Suriname faces shortages of fire engines, water and personnel. At the same time, the ongoing drought is leading to additional reports of grass fires. Monorath speaks of nearly nine grass fires on Saturday. According to him, homes also went up in flames.
Due to limited capacity, the corps must continuously weigh where vehicles and personnel are most urgently needed. The recurring fires at Ornamibo place heavy pressure on the service. Firefighters sometimes have to remain at the site for several consecutive days, during the day and at night, to fight the fire.
Monorath therefore supports the fire brigade’s signal that repeatedly extinguishing fires without structural solutions cannot continue indefinitely. He emphasises that the managers of the landfill site also bear responsibility for preventing new fires.
Deployment remains possible in case of serious fire
According to the minister, the restrained stance does not mean that the fire brigade will no longer respond to Ornamibo at all. In the event of a serious fire, it can be assessed whether deployment is still necessary.
Monorath says he is in talks with the Minister of Openbare Werken about measures to prevent new fires at the landfill site.
In addition, he wants to strengthen enforcement against causing grass fires. According to him, the final grass-fire fine decree will again be submitted to the Hof van Justitie (Court of Justice) and the Openbaar Ministerie (Public Prosecution Service). The minister expects the decree to be promulgated within a few weeks.
Despite the shortages and the heavy burden on personnel, the fire brigade will continue to respond to emergencies, according to Monorath. Saving lives and providing necessary assistance remain the priority.
