Opposition Spokesperson on Local Government, Natalie Neita Garvey, is calling for more to be done to limit the possibility of fires from spontaneous combustion at the Riverton Disposal site.

The call comes as firefighters and workers of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) work to contain the fire, which has blanketed sections of the corporate area with smoke.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Mrs. Neita Garvey said the capital city cannot continue to absorb such levels of smoke inhalation yearly as it has major health and business implications.

She said Kingston and St. Andrew, as well as Portmore, had serious air quality issues on Tuesday and Wednesday, which particularly affected citizens with respiratory illnesses.

Mrs. Neita Garvey said in the past, the NSWMA has given assurances of improved practices in its effort to convert the dump site into a sanitary landfill.

She urged Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, to ensure the agency is provided with the necessary financial and technical resources to maintain the dump.

Mrs. Neita Garvey also asked the Minister to provide an update on plans announced by government some time ago, to move the disposal facility to a new site, which would provide better conditions for waste disposal.