In light of recent allegations of pollution of the Taberi River in La Plaine from a nearby pig farm, Chief Environmental Health Officer, Ferdinia Carbon, has revealed that the Environmental Health Department is aware of the situation, and has been handling it for years.
On Monday August 22, Chairman of La Plaine Disaster Preparedness Management Committee, Jason Fontaine, lamented the supposed dumping of pig waste from a nearby pig farm into the Taberi River, and called on authorities to find an “urgent solution” to end the pollution.
Fontaine stated that the pollution of the river would be detrimental to villagers in the event of a disaster. He claimed that the water now threatens aquatic life, and hinders tourism in the area.
“From 2008, we have been dealing with that situation. We have a number of reports of what was done, and what we asked, and what was not done. We made recommendations,” Carbon told Dominica News Online (DNO) in an interview earlier this week. “…We were monitoring the water quality, and getting the results of the water… all through the years, we have been actually monitoring the quality of the water.”
She noted that the most recent report on the subject is from late 2015, and stated that some recommendations made then, by the department were still pending.
“We basically know what’s happening. The 2015 report says about the situation, what was done, and what is still pending to be done,” Carbon said. “So, we made recommendations, and in 2015, it was evaluated, and about half of the recommendations were done, and there were still some things pending.”
Carbon described the department’s process and commented that previous recommendations may no longer be applicable to the farm, as the project started with a smaller number of pigs, but the owner now has “quite a few.”
“When a situation occurs, and we are apprised of the situation, we do an investigation, and we make recommendations,” she remarked. “What you find happens in some situations [is that] the person ignores everything, sometimes the recommendations that were made at the time, might not have worked properly… It happens. You go, you make recommendations, it worked for a while, and then maybe down the year, the next year, you might find [that] the system didn’t work.”
The health official assured that the Environmental Health Department is monitoring the situation. She announced that a team from the department and the Ministry of Agriculture will visit and evaluate the site, and provide recommendations, “either later this week, or early next week.”
The owner of the farm in question was unwilling to offer a statement on the matter when contacted by DNO
Chairman of the La Plaine Disaster Preparedness Management Committee, Jason Fontaine told DNO on Friday that the situation has worsened following heavy rainfall in the area as pig feces is continuously going down the Taberi River. He said the Laplaine Disaster Preparedness Management Committee is having a meeting on Sunday at 6pm at Willis Junction to address this issue and “we would like for the authority to attend this meeting as we address this urgent matter.”
Since 2008, y’all have been collecting samples and monitoring…if you have to be monitoring for all these years, and not taking serious measures….something is VERY wrong with this sector. Are we waiting to hear that the river is 100% contaminated and then maybe some measures could be put into place??
Whatever happened to the Environmental Health Services(Nuisance)Regulations? Whatever happened to something called an abatement notice?. That is what ought to be issued and a deadline given to the offender. Once the notice is exhausted the offender, unless able to prove that the recommendations were unreasonable, should be prosecuted. The Chief Environmental Health Officer’s response gives the impression that the Department has teeth but cannot bite.
The Chief Environmental Health Officer’s response reminds me of a LifeLock TV Ad. Why monitor a problem if you cannot fix it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAGaShf2r84.
Dominicans love pig meat so much…. now it come back to bite them in de…lol so long rasta say…put down de pig meat
The tentacles of corruption is far reaching. One rotten potato spoil the whole bag. In as much as the people from the environmental department would like to do their work this one guy thag DNO is afraid to mention has the black ball in his hand and here it is the chief environmental officer cant make a move. Even when lives are at stake
OMG!!! that’s the river?!!!
That water used to be crystal clear!!
That chief environmental officer is either ignoring the issue or doesn’t know what to do!
Or she has been “hog-tied” by the powers that be…
What a statement of indictment by the CEO!! Does she not understand what she is saying about herself and her department?
HOTEP!
Welcome to the “Nature Island of the Caribbean”!
I am not surprised that the environmental health people are still waiting after 8 years to solve this problem . After 4 years I am still waiting on them to help with an environmental hazard in Roseau. I made several visits to them but to no avail.
La vie dou in Laplaine life sweet….zor tou vowas we want pig meat too…… 8 years?!! 8 long years and manni one piece of jel coshon a plat mweh…Qui sa!!! pigsala ka live tou long.Madam chief of health donot despair,we d Paro Association are coming to help..Community clean up at 50 paros @ $10 per paro please pay in advance and your problem disappear overnight….Lord let us breathe fresh air and drink clean water Ah-men…
dem mullet maybe fat. wicked men in high places will. if you harm gods earth harm will come to you
First of all jean la plaine buying the pig meat like greedy Lil pigs. Secondly if it was a jean la plaine they would already run the man out. All you have a man from gf putting kaka cochon in river and accepting it thirdly same on the chief environmental officer you still have guts saying since 2008. I mean come on! Dlp will not say anything because the so called foreign farmer is on their side. Next he will bring chickens and import alligators for the river
These pigs must be dressed in red, that is all I can say!
It is better to be considered a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubts. In my opinion, that consideration is no longer a fool but a liar. Had it been someone from the villages of Marigot and Salisbury, the police station in Roseau would be empty, the amount of guns and officers that would be sent to the areas. If the piggery is shut down, because of the disaster is posses at La Plaine, the officer who gave the orders would either have to resign or would be transferred to manage the garbage dump at Fond Cole, that is why nothing has happened since 2008.
The answer to this is quite simple. Somebody from La Plaine should simply take the matter to court with the help of an attorney in “the public interest”. The court in turn will issue an injunction or a cease and desist based on deadlines. If the lower court which is controlled 100% by the Cabal will not hear the case or fails to take action then go to the high court or the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court if necessary. Stop depending on this failed institution called government (DLP) to protect you all. Where is the Bonda-Ma-Jack pastor turned government minister when you need him? We are truly living on animal farm in a failed state .
Always Assertive!
The piggery should be shut down until all conditions are improved.
Are the people of Laplaine buying pork from this pig farm? If so, they are not affected and everyone else should leave them alone.
The parl rep eyes and ears on vacation, check back in another 8 years
Chase them crazy bump heads outta town now!!!!! Pure incompetence!
it is so unreal its not funny. the pm Skerritt told the nation the people get the governance they vote for
I am reading and my jaw dropped. Where is planning, where are the fines. I would fire this lady right after she done speaking. You are telling me since 2008 you know of a problem that has since been violated and you still investigating. Madam the # 1 responsibility of the ministry of environment is to protect the citizens safety first. That means shutting down a business if you have to. You have just demonstrated the depth of our failings because you are the chief. By your admissions the village council should file a law suit against the ministry of health fir failing to protect the people and the pig farm owner. This is beyond absurd.
“nastiness go cause y’all death………..”
…zor toe malpwop. 
From all of what was said, this was just an excuse for doing nothing. Total incompetence here.
As for DNO, doesn’t the farmer have a name? What is stop you from identifying the farmer?
Chief Environmental Health Officer, Ferdinia Carbon, has revealed that the Environmental Health Department is aware of the situation, and has been handling it for years.
YEARS!!!!!! Really???
That is a very wrong statement to make in light of the potential environment impact to the neighbourhood and the health of the villagers. Who is representing the villagers?
you can’t touch or harm any member of the cabal!! simple!! POLITICS WILL SUPERSEDE and win.
MY political friends will protect me…hahahahahhaha
“We were monitoring the water quality, and getting the results of the water… all through the years, we have been actually monitoring the quality of the water.”
Monitoring is not a solution; monition simply means you are looking out for an intimation of danger. What have you done to eliminate the problem completely, that should be your resolve, that should be your only alternative.
It would be interesting to know what method are used to do your monitoring? Simply looking at the water whiles the feces continues to flow into the river, and then talk about how long you are dealing with the problem will never be a resolve. Two thousand and eight (2008) and now is a very long time, a resolve should be found by now!
If the pig pen is to close to the river it must be displaced to higher grounds but the terrain must be accessible and flat enough to build a huge slurry . A slurry is a farm (septic) tank which is like a circular steel tank or a circular concrete structure which is used to collect the animal dung or poo ;that can be used as compost .This compost can be used for agricultural purposes ;compost is the best source of food for growing plants because it does not harm the soil ,animals nor humans.
Clearly we have a serious problem here. And despite claims by the Chief Environmental Health Officer that her office ” is aware of the situation, and has been handling it for years”, her department has been unable to address this environmental mess. Yes, they have written reports during the period from 2008 to 2015. But it is clear ,from her own words that the response to her recommendations has been inadequate , to say the least.
Dominica’s agriculture needs to be diversified and livestock production has to be part of a diversified agriculture. However, this has to be done in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner. Allowing the effluent from a pig operation to spill into a river is totally inexcusable. Apart from the impact on the environment and human health, the optics of the Nature Island allowing pig manure to be discharged into a river runs counter to the image we are trying so hard to promote. It is high time that the authorities move beyond writing reports.
This problem was brought to the ministry of health attention in 2008. It is now 2015 this means seven years have gone by yet not solution. What are thse workers paid to do.
Do these people in the ministry of health know about the the life cycle of tape worms.
Probably the laplaine village council should write an article on tape worm or ask the doctor who writes under stay well and sparkle to enlight the ministry about the problems that can arise from that don’t care attitude
Miss carbon wen you make recommendations you to monitor the progress but you all completely turn your backs on that farmers thanks to mr fontaine he is getting this resolved you all need to assist him towards his representation enough is enough
Within the context of environmental health, safety and well being of the public and environment and within the context law abiding procedures and the rule of law, I find the comments, as reported, of the Chief Environmental Health Officer to be rather preposterous. She said nothing except to indicate that they cannot handle the situation!! If I was in that position and requested to comment I would not implicate my office like that. I would probably only comment if I was able to say what were the findings of the water tests, what was recommended, What was done or not done as the case may be, and what steps are presently being undertaken to solve the problem in the interest of all parties.
In ensuring that a business can continue to operate and ensuring the balancing of Public health and safety there ought also to be well defined environmental laws, regulations, guidelines and procedures to inform all stakeholders. That it takes EIGHT (8) years to find a solution is shocking.
This is what we have come to expect from government operatives of this Labour administration.Complete disarray and not being able to do their jobs properly because of lack of equipment and political interference.If They have been aware of this mess for all these years and haven’t been able to resolve it,then in the public interest the person in charge needs to be changed.There must be things which could have been done but we’re not done.Thank God that so far there hasn’t been any know diseases contracted because of this smelly and situation.The parliamentary representative,the Minister of agriculture,the Prime Minister,the chief of police,the Minister of health are all implicated in this gross abdication of their duties.The farm should be asked to cease operations at that location and the farmer given help in relocating the operation.Thanks for bringing this issue to the attention of the public at large.Only in Dominica under Labour would this happen.
You have known this for eight years and the problem persists? Prosecute the offender for God’s sake. Is he untouchable, non- accountable? An environmental health dept. without teeth is a waste of time and money.
Dont you people worry, this guy is up there in the color party and nothing will ever be done. China will give us a new river.
Now this department really does nothing but talk, nowadays you have persons rearing pigs, dogs , chickens, goats, etc in residential areas and complains go unanswered until, nobody goes before the court.
it is time legislation and court action becomes the enforcer, and not friendship, party etc.
Let us get some real work done. The stench of pig and chicken etc shit is just too prevalent. let those persons find adequate place sanctioned and licensed to grow their farms.
8 years with the problem and cant find a solution? what are they waiting for? total pollution of the river? and we call D/ca nature isles, we should be protecting our rivers, permission shouldnt been given to build such facility so close to the river in the first place
The Chief Environmental Officer should be ashamed to make these statements. She has just admitted failure in dealing with a problem for 8 years. This smells of incompetence or a lack of urgency. How could a facility, permitted to house no more than 500 pigs, be allowed to exceed its permitted allotment by thousands of pigs? How can an individual ignore authority and get away with it? Is this a case of favoritism – personal or political? The people of La Plaine deserve better? By the way, where is the parliamentary representative and why has he not taken those responsible, for failing to solve this situation after 8 years, to task?
they aware of the situation for years and yet still the problem persists…. you see the ttype of country we livein