ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI — Residents are raising fresh concerns about the prolonged burning at the Pockwood Pond landfill, questioning how much longer communities will be expected to endure smoke from the site and who will ultimately be held accountable for protecting public health.
A resident, in a Facebook post expressing frustration over the situation, described experiencing burning eyes and throat irritation and waking in the middle of the night coughing when the wind shifts and carries smoke into residential areas.
“So how many more months will the Government of the BVI deliberately poison our children while they sleep with toxic smoke from the burning dump?” the resident asked.
The post raises serious questions about the potential health consequences of prolonged smoke exposure, particularly for children, older residents and people with existing respiratory conditions.
It also questions whether the people responsible for addressing the problem are facing the same conditions as residents living closest to the landfill.
A problem that has resurfaced
The concerns are not new. In May 2022, two major fires at the Pockwood Pond dumpsite, occurring on May 16 and May 22, caused smoke to spread across western Tortola and prompted complaints from residents.
At the time, then Health Minister Marlon Penn told the House of Assembly that investigators had not established the exact cause of the first fire. However, the Department of Waste Management had reportedly uncovered evidence of people entering the site after hours and using blowtorches or similar devices to retrieve copper and other metals from discarded materials. Officials suggested this activity might have contributed to some fires.
The recurrence of landfill fires raises questions about whether sufficient measures have been implemented to prevent further incidents, control underground burning and protect nearby communities.
Who is accountable?
The latest complaints go beyond the immediate problem of smoke. They raise questions about responsibility, transparency and the consequences if residents suffer serious health complications.
“Who goes to jail if over time, the child of a poor family dies from this toxic smoke?” the resident asked, questioning whether responsibility would fall on landfill workers, departmental officials or senior decision-makers.
The post is an expression of public anger and does not establish that any official has deliberately exposed residents to harmful substances or that the smoke has caused a specific illness. Nevertheless, the concerns deserve a clear and substantive response from the authorities.
Government has a responsibility to ensure that waste disposal facilities are managed safely, that environmental risks are addressed and that residents receive timely, accurate information about hazards affecting their communities.
Residents deserve more than assurances
The public deserves answers to several critical questions:
- What is causing the current fires, and has a formal investigation been launched?
- What measures are being taken to extinguish any underground fires and prevent them from reigniting?
- Is air quality being monitored, and will the results be made public?
- What assessment has been made of the potential health risks to nearby residents, particularly children?
- What long-term improvements are planned to prevent repeated landfill fires?
Residents should not have to rely on social media complaints to bring attention to a problem affecting their daily lives and sense of safety.
The Government and the relevant departments should provide regular updates, explain what action is being taken and establish clear accountability for the management of the facility.
For families who say they are waking up coughing or experiencing irritation when smoke reaches their homes, the issue is immediate. For the wider Territory, it is also a question of whether the existing waste-management system can adequately protect public health.
The central question remains: How long must residents endure the smoke before they see a lasting solution?