R1.2 million spent to curb coastal erosion |02 February 2012

Home Affairs, Environment, Transport and Energy Minister Joel Morgan made a visit to the site yesterday morning accompanied by the Environment principal secretary Didier Dogley.

Also present were the district’s member of the National Assembly Alderic Bristol, the Environmental Engineering and Wetlands Section director Nimhan Senaratne, as well as other officials from the department.

Mr Morgan said he wanted to see the work that has been done on the project to protect the coastline from severe erosion that was occurring.

He said the situation was so bad that bowsers could not get to the houses during times of drought.
”This is a very good community project where the Department of Environment has carried out a coastal protection mechanism through rock armouring,” he added.

He said it has come about also because of the intervention of President James Michel when he last visited several areas where coastal erosion was a concern.

“He enabled us to obtain emergency funding in order to be able to carry out these projects which would benefit the community and the country as a whole.”

Mr Morgan added that the work has been completed earlier than expected and what remains to be done is rehabilitation and tree planting.

Mr Bristol said they are very satisfied with the project as erosion was a major concern to residents of this area.
He said the residents are also very happy with the work.

Mr Senaratne said the rate of erosion was so alarming that when there was a water crisis residents had to struggle to bring water to their houses.

He said the project has involved recreating the beach to prevent future erosion, and also widening the road.
“This stretch which was eroded is also the access way of six families to their homes,” he noted.

Mr Senaratne said now that the project has been completed, they will work with the Takamaka school to organise a tree planting activity on the site.

A press release from the Environment Department said that the project, which started last year, was contracted out to successful bidder Sun Excavations.

Nearly 2,300 tonnes of rocks and 750 square metres of geo-textile cloth has been used to line up the site to hold the rocks and other structures.

A similar project is also ongoing at Anse à la Mouche.