Citrus waste contaminates Dangriga water…again

Barely a month has passed since Dangrigans had to abandon their Gumagarugu water due to citrus waste pollution and today it appears to have happened again. This morning citizens woke up to an all too familiar smell of rotten citrus, and when checked, it was found that their beloved river had been the victim of yet another citrus spill from the Del Oro dumpsite. This afternoon News Five spoke to the Mayor of Dangriga, Cassian Nunez who had just come out of a meeting with Del Oro environmental personnel.

Cassian Nunez, Mayor of Dangriga

“We found that there was a spill at the dumpsite and that was the area that was contaminating the river and they said that they’re trying their darndest to correct the problem from the last time. But the rainfalls were just about four weeks since the first one and then 3.3 inches last night just overwhelmed their efforts. But nevertheless they intend to continue to be proactive and try to prevent this kind of thing in the future.”

Faralee Gabourel

“So do you all in Dangriga anticipate anymore problems such as this?”

Cassian Nunez

“The people in Dangriga, because of the occurrence, two in a row are naturally concerned. It’s kind of hard to say what can happen in the future, but we would rather not have anything like this happen in the future.”

Nunez also said that although the spill did do damage to the PH of the river, the Water and Sewage Authority acted quickly to bring the situation under control. They switched the municipal water supply to backup wells and at this time residents of Dangriga are drinking safe, clean water from their taps.