By Rayon Dyer, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE NAIN police in St. Elizabeth were forced to spend most of last Tuesday morning clearing roadblocks in the Sworn Hill and Myersville areas in the parish, as angry residents took to the streets to protest the dust nuisance from a limestone quarry operated by Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart).
According to District Constable Anthony Smith of the Nain Police, the residents, who protested for little over two hours, used stones, tree trunks and other objects to block the road leading from Myersville to Alpart. He said that the residents were quite resolute in stating that they were no longer prepared to live with dust pollution coming from the limestone quarry.
When contacted, David McKenzie, the Public Relations Officer at Alpart, told The Gleaner that representatives of the company, the Mayor of Black River, Franklyn Witter and members of the Alpart community council had since met with the residents to discuss their concerns. He said that out of the meeting, a committee was established to look at a possible relocation of the affected
residents.
ASSESSMENT
"The quarry from which the dust nuisance was coming is no longer being operated by Alpart, however, the individuals who currently operate the facility provide limestone to the plant," Mr. McKenzie said. "We will be doing an assessment of the damages caused by the company's operations after which compensation will be made."
One of the protesters, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Gleaner that the dust had caused many persons in the community to become seriously ill with a variety of respiratory problems, which have forced them to spend large sums seeking medical attention.
"Despite the concerns we have been raising, no one showed interest in our plight," the concerned protester stated. "We were left with no other course of action but to protest as we are all tired of the suffering."
However, in emphasising that Alpart intended to do something tangible to address the problem, Mr. McKenzie said the committee, which was formed to look into the problem, would include members of the community, the Member of Parliament for the area and representatives from Alpart.
