Minister of Environment Says Study Needed on U.B. Hospital Land  

The six-point-nine-million-dollar land acquisition for the University of Belize Hospital is situated near a sewer system on the outskirts of Belmopan. The initial plan was to build the hospital on the U.B. compound, but officials from the government have since reasoned that logistically, that location would not be ideal. Today, the Minister of the Environment, Orlando Habet weighed in on the issue. He told News Five that there will have to be some kind of study or environmental impact assessment before any construction begins. That document has not yet landed at that office.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Environment

“Just before the construction starts, either an environmental impact assessment will have to come – a request – come to the Department of the Environment, and if the department does their due diligence and goes out to the site, does their inspection, then they will decide whether or not it really needs an environmental impact assessment or maybe it just needs that low level environmental study. It depends on what they see. From what I understand, the sewer system initially was designed in such a way that the effluents are contained and that they are treated. So, I don’t see a major problem.”

 

Marion Ali

“Even in the event of a natural disaster?”

 

Orlando Habet

“Well, in the event of a natural disaster, then you’ll have to see whether or not it will have an overflow, whether you have to build berms for its containment, and look at the distance that from the sewer ponds to where the hospital proper will be. My understanding there is about five acres, uh, of distance between. So we have to see if that is sufficient. Um, whether or not there might have to be created additional, uh, open sites where overflow will flow so that it doesn’t go into the hospital area. Uh, I’m not searching what has been, uh, planned yet, but nothing has come to the Department of Environment as yet, but I imagine it will come soon.”