This is an open letter to the Governor General and her Deputy to intervene in the quarry project at Richmond which is proceeding at full speed in the absence of an environmental and social impact assessment. This is a project of national importance and one that will literally have lasting effects on our relatively pristine environment. It is wrong to proceed with a project of this magnitude without the advice of scientists who will determine both the adverse and profitable aspects of the project.
The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) , is a pre-requisite for projects of this size and the investor should have insisted that one be done and accepted by the Planning Division before mobilising equipment to the island. Both Prime Minister and Minister of Works have admitted publicly that they ‘dropped the ball’, in other words made mistakes. But how can you make mistake after mistake and still be allowed to proceed with unholy speed ? That is also wrong and a blatant violation of due process !
I know that the ladies appointed as Governor General, are women of impeccable character, women who I won’t even second guess as appointing them to the noble position they occupy. I my opinion they are fine choices, and I commend the Prime Minister for nominating them and like many Vincentians, I am proud to have them as Head of our State. But this is a matter that should have never reached this noble office, if our Opposition in the House was doing their work efficiently.
There are alternative locations further down the leeward coast not too far from Richmond on the foothills of the volcano which will yield more rocks with minimum overburden. Yes, we need aggregate for road construction and other capital projects, but one also has to consider both the social and environmental impact, which in this case will be permanent. At the current location, farmers are being displaced, our tri tri culture will be disrupted, the calm and serenity of Richmond and environs has already been invaded by these noisy mechanical machines. So besides air and water pollution, there is now noise pollution.
I know that our Governor General has the intestinal fortitude to tell the Prime Minister that he is on the wrong track and needs to follow the science, the environmental science, not the ‘legal bulldozer science’ as is being displayed. Vincentians are ready for structured development, not haphazard development, where on one day you verbally (not even in writing) give farmers three weeks notice to leave and the following day a bulldozer destroys your bearing trees in order to make a road. You force farmers to leave and don’t give them an alternate plot to continue their livelihood, feeding our nation. Then at a policy level, you fail to present an EIA study to ascertain the viability of this project, with a study that is specific to this project, which is an important pre-requisite !
My recommendation is to halt the project, until the study is completed, which can be accomplished in six months. In the mean time let the investors use that six months to explore a little further down the coast for an alternative location where the conditions for a quarry are more amenable, and where no farmers will be displaced and no residential communities to pollute with dust. The easiest solution is not always the best solution as obtains in this case. The government is WRONG to start a project without an approved EIA and must be stopped until further notice.
With utmost respect,
