Sinanan says national coastal study coming

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan has described coastal erosion as a “real problem” currently occurring along the entire north coast and the southwestern peninsula.

He said a contract for a national coastal study has been awarded by the ministry which is moving to develop plans and designs to counter the phenomenon.

Sinanan was speaking to reporters after the handing-over of the Quinam Beach Facility last Thursday, after remedial work was done along the coastline.

The project cost approximately $12 million and was completed in just over a year.

“Coastal erosion is a real problem now in TT. We have it on the entire north coast, on the southwest peninsula – so coastal erosion, as an island nation we have to pay a lot of attention to that and this is why we do have a very active coastal unit.

“They have just issued a contract for a national coastal study where we actually study the currents and the impacts throughout the island. That is going to help us going forward as to the designs and the area most impacted going forward and what we can do about it.”

He said a similar study done along the Manzanilla coastline, which concluded in Mayaro, revealed significant erosion taking place along Trinidad’s east coast.

Sinanan also addressed the deplorable condition of the beach’s main access road, the Penal/Quinam Road.

“The problem with the road is because of the amount of logging that takes place so the re-sheeting of the road wouldn’t solve the problem because if you re-sheet the road and in one crop season, it would get back to what it was before.”

“What is needed is a whole road rehabilitation, getting into the foundation and rebuilding the road. There are some challenges. It is a protected area...in a protected area you can’t just go and cut and widen roads. But we will work with the corporation. It’s about 14 kilometres. They have patched about nine kilometres and they will continue the temporary patching work.

“But something had has to be done about the roadway and the director said he does have it in his 2019 plans, based on the availability of funding.”

Quinam beach borders two corporations – Penal Debe and Siparia – and records approximately 200 visitors on any given weekend. The beach is used for swimming, kayaking, kite-flying, recreational fishing, religious and other activities.