Sunday, July 12, 2009

Plans to intensify quarrying in Dominica criticised

By Reginald Dumas in the Trinidad Express

Quarrying in Dominica was another facet of the "Trinidad and Tobago intervention" (in the region) that Prime Minister Patrick Manning put to Parliament on June 24. It related, he said, to his government's "decision to accelerate (this country's) infrastructure development and specifically to embark early next year on the construction of six new highway systems." There would consequently be a high demand for aggregates.

Since this demand could not be met locally, the opportunity arose to "invest in quarrying facilities in Dominica and thereby give that country a new area for economic growth and development and job creation." Importing aggregates from Dominica would assist a Caricom country, whereas now we were importing the material from Canada.

I'm disturbed by Manning's proposal. You see, Dominica has a very delicate eco-system, and growing worry is being expressed over the environmental degradation of the island. In 2007, for instance, the Dominica-based Institute for Tropical Marine Ecology spoke in alarm about deterioration of marine spaces because of increased sedimentation, itself due in large part to "infrastructural development and sand/gravel quarrying " Hardly "a new area" of economic activity.

In March this year, an Ocean Life Symposium recommended to the Dominica government-Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit had requested recommendations-that "there be an urgent investigation into the sources of pollution of Dominica's coastal waters deriving from land-based (particularly quarrying) and marine activities in order to recommend immediate mitigation actions."

The symposium also proposed that "measures be put in place to compel existing quarry operators to comply with best universal practices for the containment of pollution and assurance of safety and health of neighbouring communities. There is currently great concern about the possible detrimental aspects of quarrying on the terrestrial and marine life and the environment." (My emphasis.)


If Mr Manning had had the courtesy to hold his "appropriate discussions" with the Dominica government before telling the T&T Parliament what he was suggesting for Dominica, he might not have talked at all about quarrying as a means to keep Dominicans at home. (Who says they and other Eastern Caribbean people are so anxious to come to this murder-ridden place, anyway?)

But with Manning you never know. He has for years been unsympathetic to the environmental movement. In December 2003, for instance, he warned a meeting in Nigeria that if environmentalists were allowed to have their way, developing countries would end up like the United States. (No, don't ask me. You work that one out yourself.)

And in March 2006, at the Powergen sod-turning ceremony in Point Lisas, he castigated those he called "right-wing environmentalists (who believe) that any development that disturbs the environment in any significant way, and 'significant' is to be defined, is development that should not be pursued." Right-wing environmentalists! Any self-respecting Green anywhere would take deep and instant umbrage at that description.

I have been a regionalist since university more than half-a-century ago. I therefore appreciate, and support, the desire to work closely with our Caricom colleagues for our mutual betterment. I couch my sentiments in language different from Mr Manning's, however. I would not have used a word like "intervention", as he did on June 24, because of its unfortunate international connotations.

Nor would I have painted scare scenarios like "mass migration" or "the introduction" (by regional governments, no less) "of undesirable activities in the Caribbean". (What on earth could he have meant by that, I wonder?) To me, such an approach is unhelpful, and it is one more reason why Manning is more and more viewed outside our borders as condescending and insensitive.

In truth, I am reminded of my experiences more than twenty years ago when I was High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. It was the same story everywhere I went in the OECS: Trinidad and Tobago, flush with money from the 1970s oil boom, was being financially generous to the less fortunate, yes, but with an attitude of contempt and superiority that diminished them.

In some cases we were so dismissive, so anxious to get rid of these "nuisances", that we actually handed money over without signed agreements! I hope that's not the sort of "accountability" we still practise?


The less privileged will usually accept the manna you superciliously drop into their cupped hands from your oil or gas heaven; they need it. But they will dislike you for the arrogant way you "help" them-it's a perfectly normal human reaction. Then, of course, you will call them ungrateful. That is not the way to build the region.

For now, I shall mention only one other aspect of Manning's statement: energy. First, I would like him to give more details of the partial scope agreement on energy products he hopes to enter into with the USA.

Second, I would like to know something about the well from which he expected to supply Jamaica with gas sometime ago and which he says "was abandoned before it reached its target depth after an expenditure of some 80 million US dollars." Who spent this enormous sum? Why was the well abandoned? No money to continue drilling? Unexpected geological problems? Relations with Venezuela? Some other reason?


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Comments:
The overall damage to the island caused by this quarrying will far outweigh the benefit of a new road system, globally and it is an established hard fact that quarrying destroys fauna and flora it damages the inshore ocean coral and reef beds it affects the fish.

Whilst I realise that this area of vandalism is required in todays topsy turvey and wounded and broken world to help build roads it is happening even as I write this but the cost to our natures Island only serves to destroy it and polute it which we are experiencing right now,

I trust that whoever gets in power next gives this matter serious consideration or we will only end up with memories of how beautiful our natures island once was, for then it will be too late.
 
This is of no benefit to the Dominican people. Most of our quarry operations are foreign owned and enjoy exemption from corporation tax and import duty on equipment. Not one of the five directors of Carib Sand & Stone, for instance is a Dominican. A few people will make a lot of money for which we have to endure a lot of mess, health issues and a devastated environment. It is Africa all over again!
 

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