PHILIPSBURG–The grant agreement for the US $25 million Emergency Debris Management Project was signed on Friday by Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin with the World Bank. The project is to tackle fires on the landfill, salvaging of damaged vessels in Simpson Bay Lagoon and clearing remaining hurricane debris from the country.
Financing to improve dump management and decommission of the Irma dumpsite are included in the project, funded via the Recovery Trust Fund.
The prime minister was joined for the signing by the Dutch Government representative Chris Johnson, Public Health Minister Emil Lee and Environment and Infrastructure Minister Miklos Giterson.
Johnson applauded the signing of the grant agreement. “Solving the problem of waste has been identified by the Netherlands as one of the priorities in establishing the Trust Fund. In recent months, the World Bank and St. Maarten have been working diligently to prepare a plan to fight the fires and attain proper dumpsite management,” he said.
The Netherlands, said Johnson, is glad to financially support an initiative of this magnitude. The trust fund supporting the project is financed by the Dutch Government and administrated by the World Bank.
Government, said the prime minister, is committed to finding a permanent solution for the landfill and on the longer term, St. Maarten’s solid waste issues more broadly.
Government will work with the World Bank on the preparation of a second project for solid waste management and environmental improvement, with an estimated budget of US $35 million. This project will aim to improve long-term waste management and will implement key elements of the Roadmap for Sustainable Waste Management on St. Maarten.
Bron: Daily Herald