BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – RESIDENTS of Stadium View in the town of Sandy Point are up in arms over a persistent problem that has proven to be a public health concern, since a number of them have developed respiratory problems.
The community, located in a section of the hills, is home to several coal pits which in recent times have been producing continuous smoke in the area; a problem that poses a challenge to many including asthma cases.
Theodore Brown and several members of that community explained the situation to SKNVibes on a recent visit to the area.
Brown said the problem began in January of 2015 and has continued to be of public concern since then. He pointed out that residents thought the situation would have "blown over" but that was not the case and they are saying that they have had “enough”.
“We the residents of Stadium View are very much uncomfortable with smoke coming from Coal Keel. We cannot rest properly in our homes and I have been complaining all of last year. I have paid so much money to the doctor and presently I am on sick leave because of smoke inhalation.
“A number of us had called the Environmental Health Department and this morning (Feb 19) one of the inspectors was here to look into the matter. And as soon as she entered the yard she said she smelt the smoke,” Browne explained.
This writer was hit with the strong presence of smoke on entering the property of one of the residents.
During the interview, Brown, who showed signs of being ill, coughed a number of times before explaining that he spent a large sum of money to get treatment for a respiratory problem that he developed from inhaling the smoke.
“The same problem had developed again last weekend and I had to end up going to the doctor and get medication. It is really overbearing now and I know something definitely can be done. he lamented.
“Sunday night my lungs felt as though they were collapsing and I really had to move from one room to another, and I had to catch the doctor the first thing Monday morning,” a consistently coughing Brown lamented.
The coals operation takes place in the mountain just above the small community where, according to the residents, a number of pits are lit.
All those who spoke to this media house noted that even when coal operations are carried out in the day, “they flare up again in the evening and create more problems than early in the day”.
On condition of anonymity, a distraught pregnant resident informed that she was concerned with her safety and that of her unborn child, since inhaling smoke is considered harmful to pregnancy.
“My concern is that I am pregnant and I don’t want to be inhaling all of that smoke all the time. To me, as of late, it has been often than before and mostly in the night. That is when you will have difficulty sleeping...I am a bit asthmatic and I would have to close all the windows and let the fan circulate the air, but it is very uncomfortable.”
Another resident, under the same condition, revealed that several persons in his home have developed asthma since the problems started.
He noted the children in his home have difficulty breathing and most of them do not understand the gravity of the situation.
The resident claimed that he does not want to put anyone who is making an honest living out of a job, but the health of the community comes first and the relevant authorities need to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
The soft spoken resident has recommended that the coal pits be moved to another location so as not to create further health problems to the community.
