KINGSTON, Jamaica — Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, is refuting reports that the Riverton City dump in St Andrew is on fire.

According to Gordon, the heavy smoke seen blanketing sections of Kingston is coming from a fire in nearby bushland — not the dump itself.

“We have been inundated with calls about a fire at our disposal facility. Same was purported to have been a report from one of the media houses. I am to state categorically that there is absolutely no truth to the story going around that there is a fire at the disposal facility,” he said on Saturday.

He continued, “There is a fire somewhere in the canefield out in the bushes or swamp adjacent to the disposal facility, but it’s not even close to the disposal facility.”

Initial reports indicated that firefighters were encountering difficulties accessing the area where the fire is reportedly still active.

Noting, however, that the country is currently in the midst of a dry season, Gordon acknowledged the potential health risks associated with the smoke, but emphasised that the NSWMA is not responsible.

“We are, however, very concerned that, again, smoke emission is in the air and that can affect people’s health. But we are happy to say that we have nothing to do with that, it’s not our disposal facility, and we pray that in this dry season, we will continue to have the relative stability and peace that we currently share on our disposal site,” he said.

The NSWMA head also issued a strong appeal to the public to stop spreading misinformation.

“Again, I ask people to desist from spreading this message or from making comments that would suggest that there is a fire at the disposal facility because there is none,” Gordon said.