PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of Parliament Darryl York, Egbert J. Doran and Francisco Lacroes pressed Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs for concrete answers on wastewater management, garbage collection and environmental enforcement, raising concerns ranging from treatment plant operations to sewage flowing onto roads and private properties.
Their interventions during Parliament’s public meeting on waste, wastewater and related developments highlighted questions about the government’s operational arrangements, the consequences for polluters and the timetable for addressing longstanding problems.
York called for stronger enforcement against commercial operators who fail to arrange proper garbage collection, questioning what happens when businesses let waste accumulate.
He noted that discussions about overflowing garbage collection points have repeatedly raised commercial operators' responsibility for their own waste disposal. However, he argued that identifying the problem must lead to action.
“We need to go over to a solution,” York told the minister.
He asked whether existing legislation provides sufficient enforcement powers, whether amendments are being prepared and whether Parliament’s VROMI Committee could assist with the necessary legislative work.
York also renewed questions about an assessment of garbage bins in residential districts. He described streets where housing density has increased substantially while the number of available bins has remained unchanged.
He asked whether the assessment was completed, what it found, and what immediate measures would follow, including whether existing bins are appropriate for the volume of waste being generated.
On environmental enforcement, York questioned whether planned inspector training would produce effective penalties without changes to the legal framework.
He said fines requiring processing through the Prosecutor’s Office could face delays. Referring to an earlier statement he attributed to the Minister of Justice, York said the backlog involved more than 3,000 fines.
He asked whether legislation would be amended to permit administrative fines and requested the current penalties for sewage pollution and the accumulation of commercial garbage.
York further questioned whether those penalties would be updated to reflect present-day conditions.
Lacroes focused on persistent wastewater flowing along St. Peters Road, telling Parliament that, in his recollection, the problem had existed for about 15 years or longer.
“I can’t remember ever driving on that road and that road being dry,” he said.
He asked what causes the continuous discharge from what appears to be a cesspit in the road and what the ministry intends to do about it. Lacroes said he had raised the matter during the budget debate but had not received a response.
He also sought clarification on a reporting application or QR code that, he understood, would let residents notify the ministry about wastewater problems.
Lacroes said he had previously encouraged members of the public to send photographs of sewage running onto roads or neighboring properties, but was still awaiting clear information about the ministry’s reporting mechanism.
He challenged the burden placed on residents whose properties receive wastewater from neighboring homes, particularly when they cannot afford legal representation.
“It is extremely frustrating to be in that situation,” Lacroes said, describing residents having to endure the smell of septic water while struggling to secure a remedy.
He asked whether the minister had a plan to address such complaints and provide a practical response.
Lacroes also requested an update on implementing his motion on abandoned vehicle wrecks.
He described instances in which vehicles had been marked and notices attached, only for the notices and markings to disappear and the vehicles to be moved a short distance.
He asked the minister to explain the removal procedure and the expected period between marking a vehicle and removing it. He also reported that other abandoned vehicles in his neighborhood remained unmarked.
Lacroes said the photographs he submitted also showed water flowing from homes onto streets for so long that moss had developed on the road surface.
Doran’s intervention focused on the wastewater treatment plant and the arrangements after its previous management agreement expired.
Gumbs told Parliament that the agreement ended in August 2026 and was not renewed. The ministry is conducting daily operations while the terms of reference for a new management tender undergo legal review.
Doran questioned why the ministry had not secured a replacement arrangement before the previous agreement ended, especially given its stated staffing constraints.
“How can you end one contract without a clear, solid plan of how you’re going to move forward?” he asked.
He demanded details on staffing, technical supervision, outstanding repairs, pump functionality, backup generators, and water-quality testing.
Doran also asked Gumbs to confirm reports that septic truck operators had been directed to dispose of wastewater at the landfill because the treatment plant was reportedly closed. He sought the identity of whoever authorized any such arrangement, the reasons for it and any supporting health or environmental assessments.
The allegation remained for the minister to confirm in the provided proceedings.
Doran also requested firm start dates for new garbage collection and district cleaning contracts, an explanation for the unsuccessful first garbage collection tender, and an update on the dispute involving Fleming Waste Solutions.
In his opening update, Gumbs said solid waste collection bids closed on September 25, with evaluations expected to finish at the end of October and awards to follow shortly afterward. The district was also evaluating cleaning bids submitted by October 9.
The MPs’ questions pressed the minister to move beyond procurement updates and explain when residents would see improvements in sanitation, collection services and enforcement. The provided exchanges did not include his subsequent answers.
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