THE Sigatoka Town Council is waiting for funds to address issues faced by the rubbish dump located along the Queens Rd.
For more than 75 years, the dump has posed a significant threat to both the environment and cultural heritage in the region.
Special administrators’ chair Adish Naidu said they have asked the Government for assistance.
“We’ve got no money,” he said.
“Discussions have been ongoing, but it is not happening at the speed that we want it to.
“When there is a fire, it blows towards the highway because of the sea, and it is a political issue – someone needs to bite the bullet.”
Mr Naidu said Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad had visited the council last week.
“And he (Prof Biman) was willing to give us money.
“For a very small town with 259 rate payers, how can we get money to do this?”
He said the Government was trying to find an alternative location for the Sigatoka landfill.
“Discussions are also on with the Asia Development Bank (ADB) financing it.
“It has to do with issues regarding the land lease for the landfill, and then we have to get an EIA done.
“We have been asking the Government to give us money to just cover the whole rubbish dump with soil.
“So, it basically costs us a lot of money to do this, and most of our operating expenses go into putting out fires because there are people who tend to light fires at night.”
