Landfill crisis a time bomb for health  and environment – SIP

The Industrial Union of Panama (SIP)  questions the Government’s delay in the bidding process to choose a new contractor to manage the Cerro Patacón landfill.

According to the SIP, it has urged the authorities on multiple occasions to address this situation, “which we consider a time bomb with serious risks to human health and the environment.”

The SIP highlighted that after the expiration of the contract with Urbalia, the management of Cerro Patacón remained in the hands of the Urban and Home Cleaning Authority (AAUD), while a new public tender was given.

Subsequently, a State of Environmental Emergency was declared about the landfill in which the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Health, and the AAUD were instructed to adopt the necessary measures at an inter-institutional level to mitigate or restore the environmental disaster existing in this landfill. 

The SIP considers that “nine months later, the tender has not yet been issued, much less has the tender document been published for a new project to replace Cerro Patacón.”

The industrial union calls for a comprehensive national plan on waste management that must include a separation system at the source, effective collection mechanisms that can manipulate, divide, separate, and transport waste, proper waste management and disposal, among others.

“A country cannot prosper under a constant threat like the one represented by the current system. The apathy and disinterest of the last administrations leave us with a palpable crisis that not only affects the surrounding communities but the entire city, as it puts health and the environment at risk.

The SIP urges the authorities to face the challenge and involve all actors capable and willing to contribute to the solution of the

problem.