LWMA Confirms Providence Fire Started Outside the Landfill in Scrap Metal Zone

VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA), which manages the Providence landfill, has confirmed that the fire which broke out on September 6 did not originate from the landfill but in Zone 4, an area alongside the landfill where scrap metals are located. The manager of Waste Management at the LWMA, Christina Dora, shared this information with the local media during a briefing yesterday afternoon at the headquarters of the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) in Mont Fleuri.

Also present were representatives of other agencies involved in battling the fire, namely the DRMD, the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA), the Seychelles Police, and the Industrial Estate Authority (IEA). ‘We felt it was important to clarify that the fire is not on the landfill, but near it,’ stated Ms Dora. ‘Our main priority right now is to ensure the fire does not spread to the landfill and create another disaster. We have put measures in place to safeguard the landfill and prevent the fire from reaching it,’ she added.

LWMA is currently assisting the SFRSA by providing excavators and supplying red soil to cover areas that have caught fire, in order to prevent the flames from spreading further, while the SFRSA continues to hose down the flames. At present, LWMA is not accepting commercial waste. However, the restriction does not apply to municipal waste. According to Ms Dora, this is to ensure the safety of both their workers and the public.