Playa Blanca Residents Hold to Hope for Clean Environment

Sometime in the last 5 years, Playa Blanca residents woke up and realized there was a garbage dump site growing out of control in their backyard. The site which is 5 or 10 hectares large has been used as a dumping spot for garbage trucks for years - more than 5 years, in fact. It's just that nobody noticed for the longest time. In the last 10 years or so, land around the dump has been bought by developers, who have created luxury resort projects. Playa Blanca, Royalton (the former Nikki beach) and even Buena Ventura, are some of the new developments within smell range of the dump site - which receives garbage from 2 - 3 trucks  a day. The residents of Playa Blanca are the dump's closest neighbors.

When Mitchell Kenoian bought his condo in Playa Blanca in 2006, he didn't even know there was a dump in the area. "We couldn't see or couldn't smell it. If we had known it was there, we would not have bought here". With the increase in development along the beach neighborhoods, the demand for garbage dumping increases too. Thus the dump has grown in size and has become a problem that is not easily buried any more. The city of Anton, in whose hands the dumping problem rests, resorted to burning the garbage to make the ever growing piles more manageable.

"When they burn it is the worst", says Natasha, another resident of Playa Blanca. "It is like being covered in a grey fog of toxic  fumes. It permeates everything, even with the doors and windows closed."  Once the garbage is set on fire, the flames are fed by exploding substances in the rubbish that keep the fumes going.

Having had enough, the residents of Playa Blanca started asking questions. They found out, that a new landfill site was being built in El Jobo - an area in Anton that is far enough away from population. In January 2010, they were told that the dump would be moved in 2 months. By November 2010, the dump was still stinking up the Playa Blanca area and the burning had restarted. This time residents took to the street in demonstration and applied pressure to government officials going all the way up to the President.

The complaints were heard. Mitchell Kenoian, the spokesman for Playa Blanca residents, had this to say about Panama's government officials, "I am impressed at the accessibility of government officials. Even the President. I was able to meet with key people. My calls and emails were answered, and I was granted interviews".

With pressure being applied from all sides, the Mayor of Anton promised the dump would be closed March 15, 2011, and the garbage would be moved to El Jobo. True to his word, the dump was closed on the date. Garbage was  cleaned out. Sand was brought in. Pipes were put in the ground to prevent methane gas from escaping. The neighborhood was finally breathing a sigh of relief - too soon! Within 2 weeks, trucks had begun dumping garbage again, and the burning had restarted.

Last week, the residents of Playa Blanca staged another demonstration. This time, they had the support of local businessman Alcides M. Mina of Premier Real Estate Services. Alcides had been watching the problem with growing concern. "The dump effects business for us all. This is a beautiful area and people don't want to come here". Alcides contacted TV 2 and Telemetro, who sent crews to cover the demonstration, which ended with a surprise visit to a council meeting, where the issue was being discussed.

At the council meeting, the demonstrators and TV crews met with some of the key players around this issue. Old friend, Jorge Cáceres - the Mayor of Anton, Fernando Nuñez Fábrega  - the Governor of Coclé,  who has also been closely connected to the landfill problems, and the newly appointed head of La Autoridad de Aseo Urbano y Domiciliario (AAUD), Enrique Ho Fernández. The AAUD is a government committee that was created at the beginning of this year, to deal with the problem of garbage in Panama. According to Law 51, all plans to clean and move the dump, must have the authorization of the AAUD.

Faced with demonstrators and TV crews, officials revealed plans and came up with solutions. Enrique Ho Fernández advised that trenches, lined with compressed clay are to be dug at the new site in El Jobo. The procedure is a US standard for dealing with potential groundwater contamination at landfill sites.

Fernando Núñez Fábrega, the Governor of Coclé,  ordered the clean up of the Playa Blanca site, which is to be executed by the department of the Mayor of Anton, who holds money from resort developers allocated specifically to deal with the issue.

Residents once again came away promises that the problem will be dealt with, but having heard it all before they won't relax their vigilance too easily. While some residents have moved away from the area in disgust, others stand firm. Mitchell Kenoian, who is committed to seeing a clean living environment says, "We are not going to go away. This problem is an outrage to the children and old people of Rio Hato".

With increased visibility to the issue and a newly appointed committee to deal with problem, there is hope that a long term solution can be reached. Residents and area developers now hold to the hope that garbage trucks will deposit at El Jobo, where a properly regulated landfill  site will work to keep the air and water clean and the garbage out of a dumping ground in Playa Blanca.

In the meantime, we all can work towards producing less household waste, supporting recycling solutions and educating communities on proper disposal. Garbage disposal is a problem around the world. It's solutions lies not only in the hands of Presidents, but also in the hands of the consumers who continues to choose plastic products. We can all make a small change by reusing grocery bags instead of accepting new plastic bags at the grocery store.