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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 The Hon. Kenred Dorsett, MP, Minister of the Environment and Housing at Multi-Stakeholder Consultations on the Basel Convention and Facilitation of the Entry into Force of the Ban Amendment, addressing regulation of management, disposal and movements of hazardous wastes within, to and from The Bahamas.
An American Indian Proverb says, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Aldo Leopold recorded that “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
Distinguished guests, we are gathered here today to acknowledge and strengthen efforts towards the regulation of the disposal and movements of hazardous wastes within, to and from our land; a goal we declared in the summer of 1992 and subsequently articulated in the fall of 1992 after ratification of the Basel Convention on the control of Transboundary movements of hazardous Wastes and their Disposal in Basel, Switzerland.
The Management of hazardous waste has been of paramount importance to not only the health of Bahamians, but also to the environment, and to the sustainable development of our archipelago. We have framed this as one of the goals in our National Development Plan Significantly, the introduction of a National Waste Management Authority with the mandate to marshal resources and policies is proposed, as is the regulation of hazardous waste (such as biomedical), and the requirement to set the standards for waste management, monitoring and enforcement (page 249).
Further, the National Development Plan speaks about “Regulate disposal of hazardous waste (page 313, strategy 11.4.4), which is undergoing review. The Control and safe generation, treatment, recovery, storage, transport and disposal of hazardous wastes has been a high priority for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The Bahamas particularly Freeport Harbour is also a significant transshipment point where hazardous, wastes and materials in all forms transit to disposal across the world but particularly between the Americas and Europe.
The safe management of hazardous materials can be executed in good faith, having said this we are acutely aware that sometimes good management practices fall prey to harmful ones. We are also indelibly reminded of how a ‘Love Canal’ or ‘Khian Sea’ misfortune can be averted.
We are also aware that before the Basel Convention, efforts to use The Bahamas were formulated to dispose of one remote Family islands solid wastes as well as hazardous industrial wastes in Bahamian Waters. The disposal of nerve gas in the extreme northern Bahamas prior to independence also represents practices which existed prior to this sovereign nation gaining independence.
And that is why two and a half decades ago The Bahamas engaged in seeking best practices in the handling of hazardous waste and subsequently became a member of the Basel Convention, an international treaty designed to help our country regulate the movement of hazardous waste within and around our boarders.
The Bahamas ratified to this convention to prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed countries to more vulnerable countries like ourselves. This year we are proud to celebrate our 25th anniversary as signatories to the Convention.
We know from the global experiences that Wastes in all forms, become hazardous when they are haphazardly stored or unmethodically transported. The waste material that is improperly stored, transported or disposed of can enter our ecosystems by way of leaks or run off from generation and disposal sites; incineration, un controlled and indiscriminate burning of solid waste facilities, evaporation and wind erosion; the passing on of poisonous wastes ingested by organisms to the food chain; and spills in storage or transit zones - on and off our shores.
Such points of exposure may lead to harmful, if not deleterious side effects on our citizens and the lands on which they live. Research has long concluded that hazardous chemicals are known to promote cancer, birth defects and genetic damage.
For example, ‘Arsenic’, a pharmaceutical by-product, can damage the brain and nervous system. Benzene, a chemical solvent, has been known to induce leukemia. Cadmium, a plasticizer, is known to damage kidneys and cause hypertension. Other chemical leachates can travel through water supplies. The list goes on copper, lead, mercury, chromium, manganese, and selenium have all been linked to one or more serious human malady.
Today’s meeting as well as its second meeting in Grand Bahama, will ensure that far reaching lessons will be learned on best management practices for the transport and disposal of hazardous waste. It will ensure that our rising next generation are able to follow updates on what elements of hazardous wastes in our country and that of other developing countries are being addressed. It will ensure that our next generation of scientists, engineers, and health experts get an idea of how the government works when faced with handling challenges involving hazardous materials. They will see how citizen, environmental, and industry groups organize and address hazardous waste related issues that threaten the welfare of our nation.
It is my hope also that they will be reminded that as it was once our duty, it will someday be their duty “To continue to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling their fellow Bahamians to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.” The significance of such interactions can only be enlightening.
The exercise we are initiating here today is a continuation to strengthen our efforts towards proper management of hazardous waste in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. It will address existing and emerging challenges faced in The Bahamas in relation to the Convention, and identify possible solutions; and it will raise public awareness among key stakeholders of the Convention’s implementation in The Bahamas.
I wish at this point to say a special thank you to the Secretariat, the BEST Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Grand Bahama and the GBPA Environment Division, for this visit and for her unwavering support and the guidance she is providing in this process. The collective assistance, technical and financial, support by the citizen groups, environmental organizations, industry representatives and the government of The Bahamas for facilitation this event is much appreciated.
Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you successful and fruitful interactions, and look forward to receiving updates on steps we should take to further enhance our handling of hazardous wastes in The Bahamas.
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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