Highway to deathand destruction

THE EDITOR: The letter by Prof Ramesh Deosaran (Trinidad Newsday, 26.01.18: “Highway for integration and diversification”) outlined the many economic and social benefits of an extension of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway to Manzanilla, which I agree with. However, there are many paths to a desired destination and in this case many routes for the highway to achieve “development” and “social inclusion.”

Despite arriving at the same desirable situation, some routes will destroy the nation’s natural resources and some will not. Unfortunately, the highway extension in the current route unnecessarily causes degradation to one of the nation’s flagship environmental assets, the Aripo Savannas, an environmentally sensitive area.

I believe I speak for all ecologists/scientists when I say that the CRH extension can be constructed in a more environmentally sound way by using the existing link from the CRH through the newly constructed Valencia bypass (as the highway to Toco will do) and then upgrading the long “death trap” stretch in Valencia to facilitate a multi-lane carriageway.

In fact, I must say that for the two public consultations that I attended between Nidco and the affected communities as part of the environmental impact assessment process, the villagers showed a thorough understanding of the issues around the project and were more than proficient in dealing with the matter, so much so that the many concerned scientists attending did not need to contribute to defending the Aripo Savannas and environs as the villagers did an exceptional job.

What is even more confusing is that many of us officially commented on the certificate of environmental clearance via letters to the Environmental Management Authority during the consultation period in an attempt to provide critical information (such as the need for a 200-500-metre buffer between the highway development and the Aripo Savannas, among many other recommendations) that should be addressed before moving forward with the project, but did not receive any feedback that justified the present 100 metre-buffer zone that has already been violated, according to images of the development published last week.

It would have been “pleasant” for citizens to hear from the board of the Environmental Commission of details on the review and assessment report coming out from the “EIA pertaining to CEC 4952/2016 comments” (ie, reassuring people that the Environmental Management Act and the National Environmental Policy rules and regulations are strictly being followed).

In my final attempt, I wrote a newspaper article titled “Cumuto-Toco highway project — a ‘mortal blow’ towards our ecosystems?” in November 2017. It provided predictions, consequences and recommendations of the proposed highways with the goal of persuading the Government and the country that we should all strive for the construction of “eco- highways.” Instead, the opposite happened.

Two months after and we are seeing vehicle tracks made on the savannas that will not only be there for about the next 100 years but will alter the micro-climate of this unique ecosystem.

This does not look good for the future of any of the environmentally sensitive areas in TT. In summary, should the CRH extension to Manzanilla be constructed where the forest is currently being bulldozed, the “death strip” will still exist and continue killing our nation’s children.

But should this long stretch be upgraded, these catastrophic deaths may cease.

LINTON ARNEAUD

via e-mail

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"Highway to deathand destruction"

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