Let good sense prevail

THE EDITOR: Emotions, political posturing and plain sensationalism can be blamed for some of the comments emanating from prominent citizens that seem senseless. The Water and Sewage Authority (WASA), considered by some to be the worst-run State corporation, continues to be a major contributor to the destruction of many of the nation’s roads.

The water wasted from one leaking main in one night could fill a large swimming pool. There are thousands of these all over the distribution system. Rather than announce a comprehensive plan to repair the leaks there are calls for citizens to boycott fetes where no more than one tank of water is sprayed at partygoers. This nonsensical approach to water is not new.

In Trinidad, a place with many rivers and streams with annual flooding due to heavy rainfall, WASA pays millions of US dollars for desalinated water. While this may have been an extremely bad decision, there is no immediate plan to find alternatives to this costly water.

The lack of a plan to instal water metres so that citizens pay for the water they use, the continued use of water pumps instead of gravity to distribute water and the centralised management of our water management are not only bemusing but irresponsible.

Another area of bemusement is the call for the cancellation of the highway through what is considered sensitive environment. There is much hypocrisy by many of the pseudo-environmentalists in this regard. One wonders if their environmental sensitivity is activated only when government wishes to improve infrastructure.

Some may say their sensitivity is selective. If one were to take a trip to Tobago by air or travel north of Trinidad in an airplane, one would notice the massive destruction of the Northern Range from quarrying. There are several silt-filled manmade lakes and fallen trees. The illegal backfilling of the sea in Carenage, the destruction of the mangrove off Invaders Bay, the indirect poisoning of the population at the Beetham Estate due to poor air quality through their proximity to the Beetham dump and the pollution of our waterways and many other sensitive environmental concerns seem to go unnoticed by those who seek redress in our courts under the guise of seeking to protect the environment.

There was a concern raised by some that the proposed highway through the Aripo forest is too close to a sensitive environment. Do they realise that the Caroni Swamp and Caroni Bird Sanctuary are mere metres from a major highway? So too is the sensitive Wild Fowl Trust, the Emperor Valley Zoo and the Botanical Gardens.

It is up to the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to ensure that there is a harmonious integration between developing our infrastructure and protecting our environment.

It is possible to have roadways through our forests. Examples of these are the North Coast Road from Port of Spain to Blanchisseuse and from Arima through the mountains to the North Coast.

Perhaps the EMA needs to do more but one ought to be ever mindful that not all protests are grounded in a sincere effort to seek that which is best for TT.

STEVE ALVAREZ via e-mail