Following reports of major siltation along the coast of the Placencia peninsula, blamed on the upgrade of the Placencia road and a new international airport being built in the area, Chief Environmental Officer, Martin Alegria, told Amandala this evening that the Department of the Environment (DOE) has taken measures to mitigate the runoff, which he conceded would have some impact on the offshore reefs.
Amandala was alerted to the situation by postings of the Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development (PCSD), which Alegria described as the watchdog group of the area. PCSD e-mailed the DOE the pictures yesterday, he said.
PCSD has posted photos of the siltation, but has linked it to the development of the airport very near to the coast in the Riversdale area of Placencia.
The airport project is led by Italian developer, Marco Caruso, who we tried to reach today to no avail. His employee told us that he was unavailable and took our message; however, at press time, we had not heard from Caruso.
According to Alegria, the reason for the siltation is two-fold: the airport project and the upgrade of the Placencia road – both projects he has identified as important to attract investment in the area.
He said that after assessments the DOE did Thursday and Friday last week, they have determined that the silt runoff from the airport project came from a site where fill materials were being processed for the main airport site. Alegria said that the investors have to transfer those operations elsewhere, possibly along the Coastal Road, but the transfer may take weeks.
As for the runoff said to be caused by the road upgrade, Alegria said that his department is still discussing with the Ministry of Works to see how the Environmental Compliance Plan could be amended to mitigate the siltation problem.
The DOE completed the ECP for the airport project in May this year for the investing company, M.E.L. Investments Limited Development, led by Caruso, proprietor of The Placencia Hotel and Residences.
Silt traps, said Alegria, could have been used in both cases to prevent the siltation problem which Placencia residents are complaining of this week.
So why were silt traps not put in place? Alegria said that the projects were intended for the dry season, and not the current rainy season.
Similarly, engineering and forecasting problems were cited after massive sedimentation in the Macal River in recent weeks.
Alegria said that “any blind eye Jamesie could see” that both are bound to have consequences on Belize’s reef – though they don’t know to what extent and when those impacts would be evident. That, he said, would require research, but the DOE is constrained because there is no money.