Stifling dust!
THE construction of the eastern leg of the Southern Coastal Highway, which stretches from Harbour View in St Andrew to Morant Bay in St Thomas, is generating excessive dust at the St Benedict’s Primary School impacting teachers’ and students’ health and learning.
During a visit to the institution on Tuesday, the Jamaica Observer learned that both students and teachers have fallen ill from regular inhalation of dust associated with the highway project. Upon entering one of the classrooms to examine how bad the dust problem was, the Observer asked a group of students about their experience and their collective response was, “It is very bad”.
One teacher shared that the situation sometimes gives the impression that there is rain or the air is filled with Sahara Dust.
On Tuesday, Principal Jacqueline Carter-Dixon said the institution was experiencing its best day in weeks as a result of watering done to the roadway which helped to keep dust down to a certain extent throughout the day. According to Carter-Dixon, face masks aren’t enough to stop dust inhalation.
“The dust, oh my God! That has been a sore point. The trucks come and they dump the dirt and the big boulders and because the wind comes mainly from the sea, when it blows, everything comes onto the school premises and into the classrooms. Sometimes it is hardly visible in the school yard because of the amount of dust. It takes it in a swirl and it keeps going and you can hardly see anything.
“The dust is so thick that masks don’t filter much of what you inhale. As a result, we have had teachers who have had to visit the doctor because of the large amount of dust they inhale. Their sinuses act up and a whole host of other respiratory issues arise. I have been getting complaints of students getting regular asthma flare-ups because the dust is so intense.”
Further, Carter-Dixon said classroom desks and books have to be wiped and dusted quite regularly and in short spaces of time.
“The ladies who clean the classrooms would normally sweep to get the dust out and we would polish. Now, she has to use a hose to wash out the classes because the sweeping doesn’t help at this point,” she said.
Moreover, the principal acknowledged the importance of the highway project to Jamaica, but questioned whether any consideration was given to the possible health effects and learning challenges the students would face.
She called for a system to be introduced to make the road damp as often as possible on a daily basis.
“They came and watered it [Tuesday] but we are calling for regular watering to minimise all that dust that comes on us. When the dust gets really thick, it is almost fog-like. Even though the project is a worthwhile one, I think if a better initiative was taken on our part, to factor in the school, probably it would be different.”
Meanwhile, the sight of students regularly rubbing their eyes due to dust irks grade six teacher, Racquel Dennison.
“The mask to protect them against COVID-19 will cover their nose and mouth but sometimes it is so heavy the dust gets into their eyes. I have to contend with the dust and it is very, very bad. My classroom is near to the road. I would be marking books and before you move from one page to the next, the other side is filled with dust. When it happens, it comes right through the ventilation blocks,” she told the Observer.
Dennison shared that the dust is not the schools only problem. Noise from the heavy-duty equipment being used during the project is also a nuisance. The nuisance, she said, affects the audibility.
“I am also being affected by noise. Sometimes I just have to wait until it dies down a little then I can continue. It affects learning because at that point in time, I cannot talk and they are distracted by what is happening out there and want to see and they want to engage. I have to be spending a lot of time to ensure they are quiet and listening for that period of time. I definitely appreciate the project but the time; it is really causing a challenge.”