Residents of Isla Colon in Bocas Del Toro Tired of Open Air Dump
Residents of the community of Boca del Drago on Isla Colon (in Bocas del Toro) closed the road that goes to the landfill, complaining of odors and the large number of flies that come out of there. They also complained about the contamination of a creek, and that the Mayor of Bocas del Toro Island, Jose Anderson, has not complied with the payment to the landowner. Natalio Atencio, community spokesman, said the community is concerned because the project does not meet specifications.
Open Air Dump - He said first they were told this landfill would be in a trench and it was not going to affect the inhabitants, but now, because of the way they are throwing away the garbage, it's nothing more than an open dump. Demetrius Brown, the owner of the land, said the City government owes him $4,800 dollars for a two year lease for two hectares of land, they have made four different payment arrangements, but none of them have been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Mayor Anderson said the payment could not be performed in the first place because Brown did not have his papers in order, since he had a possessory right, and then later he obtained a certification (title) from the National Land Authority, and with these documents they are advancing the procedures through the Comptroller in order to make the corresponding payment. He clarified that the garbage disposal system that exists in the area is a trench, and the debris that can be observed comes from some people who go to the area to rip open the bags in order to take what they can find.
Given the possibility that residents would throw the garbage at the door of City Hall, Anderson said it would be unfortunate that there are people who are considering doing this, because they are damaging the image for tourism. He said there are "political hands" who are trying to stir all of this up in order to take advantage, but it's not the time yet. "Isla Colon is a tourist island and they are playing with something that's very dangerous, because we are planning with the tourism minister, Solomon Shamah, for cruise ship arrivals during the month of October, and international flights directly from South America, to increase tourism" he said. (Mi Diario)
Editor's Comment: Mayor Jose Anderson is PRD, and as such Isla Colon has been pretty much ignored by the current administration. When I was there in April investigating the disappearance of Yvonne Baldelli, there was a press conference held in the City Hall building. In short, the roof is falling in. When it rains you can take a shower, inside. The message is clear - wrong political party = no money for you, Jose... And yeah sure, this issue of the dump has been a problem there for years.
