Gov’t: Landfill off Coloane the ‘only solution’ for waste

Ecological Island’s project location

The government has said ecological island is currently the only solution to effectively handling waste.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of an event yesterday, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário reiterated that existing landfills for construction waste have become full, hence, such reclamation is necessary,

He defended that the entire process of the ecological island, including site selection, size and dolphin conservation was discussed with the central government and monitored by national experts and institutions, and called on the public to rest assured.

Asked whether all research reports on the ecological island will be made public, the government said it generally does not “disclose while doing it,” as cited in a TDM report.

Once the authorities decide the development direction, they will disclose the information online, he said.

Earlier this year, there was a call to halt the proposal to put a landfill off the southern coast of Coloane.

In the description of an online petition, an environmentalist, Joe Chan, predicted the landfill will damage marine life, intensify water pollution, and risk the health of aquatic activities practitioners.

More importantly, it will destroy the ecology of Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins, he said. The dolphin is a national Tier-1 key protected animal.

Chan also criticized the government for failing to provide any scientific data to support the “unique necessity” of the project, and no environmental assessments were produced. The public consultation period only lasts 50 days, which he believes is too short for such an important issue.

According to the government official, it is impossible to satisfy everyone’s opinions, but the government will collect and analyze all suggestions before deciding. Staff Reporter