Visit of Ms Pauline Faye (Head of SWAP projects in the Pacific Region) and the Vanuatu French Ambassador and his embassy team to to the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC)
The DEPC was paid a visit on Thursday the 20th of April by the Head of Sustainable Waste Action in the Pacific (SWAP), Ms Pauline Faye (right front) who was accompanied by the French Ambassador of Vanuatu, Mr Jean-Baptise Jeangene Vilmer (back left) and his embassy team. The team visited the Bouffa landfill at Etas after the meeting.
Vanuatu would like to thank the French government through the Agence Francaise de Developpment (AFD) funding three projects in Vanuatu through SWAP. The DEPC team updated Ms Faye and Mr Jeangene Vilmer and the embassy team on the three projects that AFD is funding through SWAP;
The first project - Marine Debris clean-up will happen at Erakor, Ifira and Paunangisu villlages and the Kawenu and wharf area. There will be three rounds of clean up with waste audit and the first clean-up will happen from the 29th of May to the 2nd of June this year.
The Landfill Rehabilitation and Climate Proofing is a very challenging and urgent support that SWAP is providing for Bouffa Landfill at Etas. Due to high rainfall in the last few years, garbage vehicles do not dump rubbish at the proper site because of the wet surface so rubbish is dumped right in front of the entrance. This has made extra work on the landfill staff to try to move the rubbish to the right place. Funding from SWAP will fund the priority task which is to move the large heaps of rubbish to the more correct place referred to as cell 1 and make a better access road to cell 1. There are other tasks as well that will be funded for Bouffa at Etas and the dumpsite in Luganville. This work should start sometimes this year.
Landfills are supposed to be managed well to minimize contamination to groundwater and then to existing rivers and surrounding land. We also thank the Japanese government through JICA who have supported funding for many years for general waste management in the past to now. Jason Andrew, Waste manager for Port Vila City Council (PVCC) and his team are trying their best with limited funding to manage waste collection and the landfill.
The third project is Used Oil management which Vanuatu had just submitted its project proposal to be finalized and submitted to SWAP.
These projects are phase 1 of the SWAP projects, there is potential for a second phase. Vanuatu is not the only Pacific country being funded for the same projects, other Pacific island countries are also benefiting from this.