Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Pockwood Pond fires causing persons ‘to come down with cancer’- Romney-Moses

Pockwood Pond fires causing persons ‘to come down with cancer’- Romney-Moses

The longstanding issues of garbage disposal and landfill fires at Pockwood Pond were highlighted during the First District’s Political Debate held at the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Youth Centre in Carrot Bay last evening, April 18, 2023, with candidates stating the issue was amongst the top three national concerns they would address in the House of Assembly (HoA) once elected.

During a question and answer segment, a First District resident referred to these issues as major emergency health concerns for the common folk and decried the lack of action by elected officials.

Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) Candidate Sylvia C. Romney-Moses had earlier listed open burning at the incinerator among her top 3 concerns and priorities.

The recent upsurge in issues surrounding garbage disposal and landfill fires at Pockwood Pond was highlighted during the First District’s Political Debate, hosted at the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Youth Centre in Carrot Bay last evening, April 18, 2023. From left: VIP Candidate Dr Karl Dawson, PVIM Candidate Sylvia C. Romney-Moses and Independent Candidate Chad C. George.



‘Cancer cases are on the rise’- Romney-Moses

Mrs Romney-Moses, who explained that she lives in the District, said the recent incident of open burning was one of the worst, noting that within her lifetime this was the third incident where there was an explosion at the incinerator.

“Certainly, the hillside was on fire. The whole of Carrot Bay, the whole of the western end was affected. Individuals are suffering with health challenges, cancer cases are on the rise and we are not talking about it. But certainly, where I sit within the BVI Cancer Society, we know that the folks on this side of the island have been negatively impacted by the incinerator.

“I plan to work with my PVIM government to ensure that the required funding and legislation to the incinerator, that it’s addressed once and for all,” she said.

All First District Candidates have said the open burning situation at Pockwood Pond will be a top priority for them if elected.



‘Health has to be at the top of the list’- Dr Karl Dawson

Additionally, Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Candidate Dr Karl Dawson noted that this is a matter of health, which should be viewed as a national concern.

He noted; however, that he is convinced these two issues have not been looked at as national health emergencies.

“We’ve looked at them as issues, things to be dealt with but we haven’t looked at them as national health emergencies, linking what’s happening there with our health currently as well as potentially…We know that we see smoke come over the hill, but we don’t know yet what is the impact on our health in the short- term as well as in the long- term…”

Shedding light on the health concerns, Mrs Romney-Moses said there is a direct link between cancer deaths related to the hazardous activities.

“The Pockwood Pond waste disposal facility is causing tremendous health challenges for our people. And while Dr Dawson is saying he doesn’t know what the effects might be…it is causing our people within the District to come down with cancer. If we had 30 people die within the last year or so, trust you me, about 25 of them died from cancer- various types of cancers that were developed because of the effects coming out of the incinerator,” she stressed.

A number of persons turned up to witness the First District’s Political Debate on April 18, 2023.



Recycling an option- Chad C. George

Meanwhile, Independent Candidate Carl C. George said once elected, he would be a ‘bulldog’ on the situation.

Mr George said once elected, he would move towards recycling so that less garbage would be sent to the incinerator.

“With regards to the sewage and the water, that is far too long…as I said with the ‘Greedy Bill’, we can’t find money to build back this plant that was destroyed but we can find money to give guys two hundred and something thousand dollars and fifty cents to put in their pocket,” he said.

A number of persons turned up to witness the First District’s Political Debate on April 18, 2023.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×