Environment Minister, Dr. Kenneth Darroux, is assuring Dominicans that a method being used for the disposal of the dangerous chemical, ammonia, at the Kubuli factory in Fond Baron is safe.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he said the process is internationally accepted.
“So it is an internationally accepted process of what they called degradation, where this ammonia is going to be passed through water and neutralized,” he stated.
According to Darroux, the factory suffered damages during the passage of Hurricane Maria and a couple of weeks after the storm the government was informed, in questionable ways according to him, of the presence of ammonia there.
“We were assured that the ammonia at the factory would be safe in contained tanks…” he stated. “Of course the DBBL (Dominica Brewery and Beverages Ltd) would have assured us that they would be doing periodical checks, monitoring the presence of ammonia in the area.”
He stated that up to about a week ago, there was no measured ammonia in the area.
“But about a week ago, they noticed that there was this ammonia, this small leakage, which unfortunately has been increasing on a daily basis,” Darroux noted.
To make matters worse, according to Darroux, the site of the leak hasn’t been physically or visibly identified.
“So here we were caught between the devil and the dark blue sea and something had to be done…” he noted. “So the DBBL would have engaged a highly specialized team from mainland USA and Puerto Rico to come up with a plan to get rid of this ammonia because this ammonia cannot remain there.”
He further stated that the government was assured that the leak was not coming from the contained system and it could have been residue in the piping system because the ammonia was being used as a refrigerant for the factory’s cooling system.
“So what do they have to do, we had to get rid of the ammonia that is contained within that vat or whatever container it is in,” Dr. Darroux noted. “So this is what is happening at Kubuli as we speak.”
He said a number of stakeholders are involved including the police, the fire service, the health ministry, among others.
Darroux said all is in place to ensure that the process of neutralizing and disposing of the ammonia is in place.
“But just to reassure Dominicans that all is in place to ensure the safety of the citizens and as I said before the process which is being engaged is being done by a highly specialized team and is an internationally approved process which is the degradation of ammonia,” he noted.
He said he hopes all goes well.
“So we are hoping and of course praying that all goes well,” he remarked. “Of course there are certain risks involved, especially when you going to tap into the vat containing the ammonia, when you might have a little escape of ammonia but this will be monitored constantly and of course the public will be notified of any mishap.”
At a press conference on Thursday night, Senior Environmental Health Officer, Sylvester St. Ville said after the ammonia has been neutralized, it will be discharged into the river incrementally, “little bits at a time.”
People living close to the factory are expected to vacate the area, motorists traveling in the area are asked to follow instructions by the police and people are asked not to use the river in Loubiere during the course of Friday.
Two months after a major national Disaster, a Minister of Health shows up. I suspect he was performing stitches on wounds in his constituency. He needs to understand that he is the National Minister of Health, not a Parl Rep of Suture.
LORD HAVE MERCY ON THIS COUNTRY especially the people in the vicinity of this factory and the river. Can the factory management , or the environmental department tell us how much of this dangerous chemical that have been leaked to the environment since Maria? Have anyone worked with ammonia? Can this poison be ever be neutralize for it not to be harmful to the environment? OMG we need help in th o s COUNTRY
Hello and good morning my people. Well Dr Darroux you are doing another Ivor Stephensen on our people and as a Doctor you should know better than saying Ammonia can be safely disposed into the river. Now, this incident indicates to me that this plant never had an emergency plan and they probably never held an emergency drill for their employees. Further our Government don’t conduct any safety check on any production plants. Mr Darroux can’t even tell us where the leak is actually coming from and its be happening for two months. The ammonia should be off loaded to a holding tank on a trailer and moved to a safe area from the public then they can safely test the system to determine where the leak is. Releasing this ammonia into the river then down stream into the sea will have a negative impact on our people who used the river and on marine life.
Why do you poison your country. Are you proud now? Is it just the money???
My friend see what you let Skerrit do to you. When you got into politics you were seen as a young man with a very bright future, maybe a Prime Minister. But you let Skerrit and his corrupt ways play the money game game on your head and since that time you acting tebe and getting worse and worse every blessed day. Right now you got so bad and so disappointing that I don’t even believe you would be a minister in pappy cabinet. No one trusts you and no one pays attention to you what a shame!
Darroux you would say that, wouldn’t you. I just want to tell you and all your government colleagues and your boss something: all your time is running out quickly. We the people won’t forget! Ask yourself, what are all you gonna do when Skerrit has left? He will be ok but ask yourself will you and your colleagues be ok. The people will come after the ones that are left behind!!
Just because it may or may not be internationally acceptable means nothing. Look at all the pollution that is caused by corporations and the garbage that is ‘put out to sea.’ Do the chemistry Darroux. It doesn’t seem sound to me. It sounds like diluted, toxic pollution.
Remember when a govt professional engineer told us that the Bailey bridge at Marcouchwi was safe, it collapsed shortly after that pronouncement. What angered me was that a layman could see that was not safe. The support for the bridge consisted of slabs of stones piled on each other. If any on these stones moved then the predictable result would be what happened, the darn thing collapsed. Bunch of irresponsible idiots. People need to start suing the govt.
for such incompetence
Hello and good afternoon my people. Well it seems like people get their position based on political connections rather than qualifications. Most of them bought their degree from paper mills in India what a shame.
dirty corrupt politician would endanger people for pennies………….damn
Amonia is one of the world most toxic chemical short of nuclear ,, for some people I don’t know if they remember what happen in India on December 23rd 1984 thousands of people died from an Amonia explosion, it is one of the world worst industrial disaster , so when Dareau talking his sh###t don’t believe him, if Maria did not kill you the politicians will, they are killing the fish and every thing in Dominica SKERRO and his cronies must go or we wont have a DOMINICA.
Only in Dominica! This factory should never be in a residential area. Residents of Loubiere should protest and those directly affected get legal advice
I agree with ‘HIFIVE’. Having studied Accounting I can say that the factory manager could have reason for the location as it is economical since the primary resource ‘water’ is readily available in the surrounding area. However when all factors have to be analyzed and environmental factors are considered, the factory has no right being so close to a residential area. I believe we should have stronger measures for the zoning of these lands for industrial and residential to avoid future conflict.
This is the reason why when things like this happen we have one spokes person who has all the info and knows what they are talking about. Dr. Darroux is a vet if i remember. If the chemical disposal is safe why send for a HAZMAT team all the way from the US? Why evacuate people and stop traffic? What instruments does the MOH have to do monitoring? There so many questions to ask i do not know where to begin. Ignorance should be a crime and combined with stupidity a lot of people will get killed one day.
On a side note i notice lots of electric transformers from domlec poles were damaged. I would lime to know how many of tbose leaked and if the MOH accounted for them. These transformers contain PCBs that are highly toxic and carcinogenic and may get into tbe soil and water system, even the food chain. I say again ignorance will kill.
Why alarm the public saying that it is safe? When situations are safe there is nothing to announce to the public either. If you knew something about the situation; I don’t believe you and your crew would need overseas help.This ammonia can kill both humans and wildlife. It should be released little by little into the water because you have no place to store it away.As a matter of fact, people in nearby location should leave their premises in order for this to be done. Dominica is really into its trials and temptation with a bunch of fools with no plans leading the country with little blind bats following like fools.
The Minister is trying his utmost best to downplay the severity of the situation. Examine these phrases by the Minister: “The small leakage”, “could have been residue in the piping system”, “a little escape of ammonia”. There are no definitive statements to reassure the residents as to the exactness of the problem. No business using dangerous chemicals should be allowed to operate in residential areas. The safety and health of citizens are often overlooked for businesses to ply their trade. Let this be a teachable moment in time.
Kenneth, what are you trying to do? A hazmat crew from overseas had to be called in and your own Sr.Health Officer warned about dangers people being being evacuated and traffic directed. You want to make your own expert, Mr. St. Ville, look laughable?
Where is Skerrit?
But what nonsense is that . I researched degradation and it said nothing about river . Why they like to fool people for neh . the Environmental Production agency website said its no safe and you coming and defend this rubbish about using the river . Come on man . Research before you open your mouth .
Since Maria that stuff going down in the river, we have suffered rash on our body as a result of that. People also damaged the plant and took sugar. Advice them that is in not good to use. Why such short notice last night for today? Is there something they are not telling the residents of that area? This morning I wanted for the environmental health persons and up to now we have not seen anybody. A van passed with a PA System you could hardly hear what was being said plus they stayed on the main road. They said the smell would be there for 2 to 3 days? What exactly are they saying? Then again, Kubuli has been dumping stuff in that river forever affecting our fishes, agricultural products, bathing, washing etc, wicked people. It is clear they eh give a s t about the residents of that area.
Chemical disposal at Kubuli factory is safe Mr. Darroux? Well, well, well what can I say? Maybe it is safe to spray our lettuce with Gramoxone and say it safe too man? But please don’t do that folks because that will kill you! But what do you expect from any member of the Skerrit cabal? Don’t forget in September when Dr. Fontaine was saying a very dangerous hurricane was heading to Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit was saying that not true we going to have a short storm and therefore no need to stockpile food and water. Well we saw how vicious Maria was, how many she killed and how she destroyed Dominica. So Please fellow DOMINICANS, please do not listen to a single thing they say to you. They drank some RED cool aide Monfared sent them and that tebe them
http://www.water-research.net/index.php/ammonia-in-groundwater-runoff-and-streams
“Fish may suffer a loss of equilibrium, hyperexcitability, increased respiratory activity and oxygen uptake, and increased heart rate. At extreme ammonia levels, fish may experience convulsions, coma, and death”
Read that in the article but hey man it’s safe….
Oh it’s safe hmm, well let me go and swim in the river eh and bathe in it