NEPA stormed with letters of objection from Bengal stakeholders
Published:Monday | August 12, 2019 | 12:00 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Numerous letters of objection have been submitted to the Application Management Division of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), against any form of quarrying and mineral processing at Rio Bueno, Dry Harbour Mountain.
Jamaica World and its partner, EPSA, a global contract mining company, are seeking to mine the limestone rich area in Trelawny, near the border of St Ann.
The letters, which all urge NEPA to deny approval, follow a heated meeting on July 12, where public presentation of the plans were flatly rejected by many residents, who insisted that a quarry should not, under any circumstances be tolerated in the area.
...Martin and Anne Hopwood: This should be a private forest reserve
On July 15, Martin and Anne Hopwood of Bengal Farms, wrote to Bennett expressing horror at the plan which they contended would completely eradicate more than two decades of not only a pristine dry limestone forest, but the richly biodiverse limestone bluff situated on the Queen’s Highway between Rio Bueno and Discovery Bay.
“This area should, in our opinion, be designated as a private forest reserve under the Forest Act, 1996,” they argued.
Residents all argue that the damage to the landscape, traffic noise, dust, damage to caves and loss of land will be the major, unmitigated consequences of the establishment of this quarry.
The volume of carbon dioxide emitted by the trucks carrying the stone is almost incalculable. Scientists have already pinpointed the city of Kingston, Jamaica as one of the first cities to reach the climatological “tipping point” in 2023, only four years from now, they wrote.
“The developer’s talk of mitigation of the dust is not convincing. Equally, their argument that the production of construction aggregate for Jamaica’s development is not convincing, particularly, when it appears that their goal is to export a vast amount of their product,” their letter added.
“The creation of 20 or 30 jobs and the enrichment of the directors of the development company is not an acceptable trade-off for what is an unsustainable project which will destroy an existing ecosystem,” states the residents of the Bengal community.
... Anthony Holmes: I don’t appreciate 200 trucks a day
Similar concerns about pollution of water resources and the destruction of wildlife habitat were expressed by Anthony Holmes in his July 16 letter. Holmes, who lives about 100 metres from the proposed site, said he currently suffers from the dust emanating from the operations of neighbouring company, but that discomfort would pale into insignificance once any limestone quarrying started.
“I didn’t appreciate that the number of trucks involved could be upwards of 200 per day, which would travel along the main highway, which is one of the most lethal stretches of road in Jamaica evidenced by the number of fatal accidents over the 10-year period that I have lived here,” he pointed out.
Holmes said the presentation indicated that these trucks would follow a route from the site to the Tankweld Pier despite the company stating that no contracts existed for the export of the aggregate.
...Audrey Holmes: Think about the schoolchildren
On July 16, Audrey Holmes wrote to NEPA stating that Jamaica World was “remiss in addressing key issues raised by the attendees” and had not given serious consideration to the welfare of the local population, including schoolchildren at Rio Bueno School.
... Dr Kathie Krumm: This development will alter topography
Dr Kathie Krumm, of Rockstone Villa, wrote to NEPA on July 22, stating that the public presentation exposed glaring inconsistencies, which should result in rejection of the application by NEPA.
“The St Ann Development Control Order should be strictly applied. The project area falls within an area classified as ‘Undeveloped Coast’ under the St Ann Parish Development Control Order… . Such a designation prohibits any development which results in significant alteration to topography or significant strands of vegetation… . This was mentioned in the EIA and ignored in its analysis. The proposed quarry clearly would significantly alter topography through blasting and open pit mining. Hence, NEPA should deny request based on this inconsistency,” Krumm said.
“Since the EIA did not take seriously the air quality issues, the proposed mitigation measures, for example, watering control for the haul roads, are trivial. Such a large scale quarry operation cannot avoid the air quality non-compliance and hence cannot be approved,” she surmised.
... Alvin Barrett: This will destroy a booming tourist destination
Another resident, Alvin Barrett, objected on the basis that the area from Rio Bueno to Discovery Bay is a booming tourist destination with a growing population of tourist villas, new houses and has become a magnet for returnees, due to the areas unspoilt beauty.
“This will be destroyed along with the endemic species, all for a flawed economic plan,” he said.
...Debbie Morrell-Barrett: I am concerned about landslides, property damage
Debbie Morrell-Barrett, a returning resident from the United Kingdom, raised concerns about groundwater and sea pollution, as well as the proposed rock-blasting methods.
“My concerns are the effects of blasting, vibration and shockwave, causing damage to property and possibly triggering rockfalls and landslides in the vicinity, the devaluation of present properties,” she said.