Health Minister Carvin Malone said the device -whose function is to filter the noxious fumes being emitted from government’s incinerator in Pockwood Pond -would be installed by the end of next month.

Malone said he was given the assurance by the manufacturers of the scrubber device Consutech that “the scrubber is going to come in the first quarter of 2020”.

“I had discussions with Consutech, the equipment manufacturer and they conceded the fact that part of the payment for the scrubber, was made about three, four, five years ago when the equipment [incinerator] was placed in. It should have been there,” Malone said during a recent community meeting in Sea Cows Bay.

He continued: “Their story was the sub-contractor went out of business, and they then had to purchase it for a higher price.”

Bone of contention

Notably, Consutech LLC, located in Virginia, USA, was paid a down payment of nearly half-a-million dollars for the device in 2015.

The total price was $1 million. However, when the incinerator was purchased under a National Democratic Party administration’s 2003 to 2007 term, the scrubber was expected to arrive at the same time, according to former Health Minister, Ronnie Skelton.

Due to the delay which has spilt into many years, the incinerator was mounted without the scrubber.

The lack of scrubber has been said to affect the respiratory health of persons in the immediate surrounding areas.