No Consultation on Bath Lodge Backfilling

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Environment Articles

Thursday, 14 June 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St john's- Revelations of backfilling of a pond in Bath Lodge, near Bendals, have now caught the attention of the Environment Division which shares fears that the development could be “difficult to manage” if it was not properly thought through.

The land has been developed for distribution as house lots. Senior Environment Officer of the Environment Division Ruleta Camacho says that based on her knowledge her office was not consulted on the development of the area.

She said, however, that with respect to the issue of water flow there is an overall lack of management and a general deficiency in this area. She noted that while Antigua and Barbuda is known to be a drought prone island it is common that sometimes water-ways like these are forgotten because they become inactive for prolonged periods.

"I am not aware that we were consulted about it. We do have maps and plans that if we were made aware we could have assisted with it,” Camacho said.

The environmentalist opined that if sufficient thought was put into the process and alternative solutions were put in place, then these matters could be handled so that development in the area would depend on the site and the studies. This means that issues of severe flood risk could be guarded against with the right planning.

"I do not know the site and I did not know that backfilling had taken place,” she said. She agreed that the Development Control Authority (DCA) would have had to approve the initiative.

Efforts by Caribarena to contact Chief Town and Country Planner Fredrick Southwell for clarification on the matter were unsuccessful, but information reaching this publication suggests that the DCA had not approved the development and is in the process of investigating the matter.

Acting Deputy Town and Country Planner Wilbur Burke says the DCA has a strong no-tolerance stance against the filling of ponds and waterways in the country. He said the Authority would be examining the site and its records to determine the way forward, which could result in remedial action.

“I am not sure if permission was granted by the DCA but if it was, I would have been aware of it,” he said.

The Environment Division confirmed that land filling and backfilling requires permission from the DCA, and Ms. Camacho said: "I have not seen it (consultation request) and I have not personally been contacted about it.”

Efforts to secure a comment from Chief Lands Officer Kevin T. Edwards were unsuccessful.

In the meantime Member of Parliament for area Molwyn Joseph said he too was unaware of any backfilling, and he was not consulted about it. He says, too, that he is familiar with the pond in question and he can’t imagine that anyone would backfill it.

The MP said will be visiting the area on Thursday to determine the magnitude of what appears to be an illegal development.

Former Environmental Awareness Group President Dr. Brian Cooper had said recently on a local radio program that the issue of flooding is one that must be taken seriously since the backfilling of ponds and poor drainage has damaged gravel-filled roads and caused flooding of other areas over the years.

The Development Control Authority, the Central Housing & Planning Authority and the Environment Division all fall under the umbrella of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands & Housing.

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