EU Helps To Rehabilitate The Lami Dump

EU Helps To Rehabilitate The Lami Dump

EU - Fiji Sign Agreement to fund Lami Dump Rehabilitation

A works contract for the rehabilitation of the Lami waste landfill was officially signed yesterday at the Ministry of Finance by the Government of Fiji and BW Holdings Ltd. This FJ$ 4.5 million contract is financed by the European Union (EU) through the Fiji Solid Waste Management Programme of the 9th European Development Fund. The rehabilitation works will last 12 months and include levelling of waste, slope protection using soil-filled geo-cells and armour rocks and a cover up of the site with soil to ensure vegetation growth. The project aims to contain present and minimise future environmental risks of the dump site for the benefit of the people living in surrounding areas including Suva, the capital of Fiji.

'I am very glad that with the signing of the works contract today we have taken the last step necessary to bring the rehabilitation of the Lami dump to a good end. After its closure in 2005, serious environmental risks for the residents of Lami and Suva remained at the dump, including the discharge of leachate, the emission of gas and the risk of fire. The rehabilitation works will now address these issues and minimize future environmental hazards', said Elina Lobendahn-Volavola, Deputy National Authorizing Officer at the Ministry of Finance during the formal handover ceremony.

In addition to the rehabilitation works which aim to stabilize the site and protect it from erosion, several ancillary works will be conducted. A service road will be constructed and parking areas will be provided on the landfill top. Moreover, the draining system will be upgraded by trimming and enlarging existing drains and a fence will be put up around the dump.

This redevelopment project is in line with the National Solid Waste Management Strategy for Fiji 2006, which – in close cooperation with key stakeholders – provides a platform to advance the management of waste in Fiji.

The Lami dump received waste from Suva and neighbouring towns for more than 50 years before a major fire which emitted highly toxic smoke broke out at the site in July 2005. The dumpsite was subsequently closed and replaced by the Naboro landfill, a high standard modern landfill funded by the EU and the Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands. While the new landfill site now provides adequate waste disposal facilities with improved environmental protection, the proper rehabilitation of the old site was still outstanding.

ENDS

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