Blanchisseuse: Balancing quarrying and eco-tourism

Published: 21 Dec 2009

The Blanchisseuse Valley is no doubt an area where the best limestone deposits in the country are present. It is from these deposits that construction aggregates were produced for major projects throughout the island. The quarry itself started in the early 1930s. The US armed forces once operated the quarry to source aggregates for the construction of the air force base, Fort Read, at Wallerfield. I am told aggregates were also sourced from this site for the construction of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway. Currently, the lack of will to identify an approach to environmental management, that includes the earth-extractive industry, is creating more confrontation than logic. Case in point is the situation with Verdant Vale, Blanchisseuse Road, Arima, where environmentalists seem to believe that the valley must be kept in a pristine state.

logoThey believe that shutting down the quarries would solve the utility problem of the Asa Wright Nature Centre. Compromise seems alien to the environmentalist’s vocabulary. The “tête-à-tête” continued in a newspaper article last month which implied that the problems facing the Asa Wright Centre—research unit—would be solved by the elimination of quarrying activity in the area. At the “brass tack” level the idea of compartmentalised research and modelling belong to the realm of academia. In the applied mode, however, the models derived must be adapted to suit the existing reality. The approach must be a bit inclusive and holistic. Sensational reporting does not solve the problem. It probably impacts more negatively than positively on the people. I certainly do not believe that shutting down the quarry will solve the centre’s utility problem. Maybe some other researcher would alert the board of directors that PTF Mining’s offer to supply Simla with water still stands.

Their source is prolific and they have excess capacity. It might be an innovative idea to connect to the PTF source and allow the quarry to have a notably positive impact on the research centre. Additionally, some very lay person could remind the board of directors that the quarries have impacted positively in actual terms rather than conceptually, by paving and repairing roads and car parks. The impact on the village has been more visible, especially since the fall of the cocoa and coffee industries. The village has grown with the quarrying industry. Today quarrying is a major contributor to the village’s economy. As an emergent Third World economy, it is extremely important that we do not make the same mistake that more advanced countries made. We saw the destruction of man (indigenous), animals and plants in the quest for exclusive development.

With it came a package of pollution which includes air, land and sea. We have neither the luxury nor the ignorance to follow the same path. We must fast-track the environmental management process for both green-field and brown-field environments and develop the appropriate models. No amount of lyrics will create a holistic environmental management style with the culture of environmental friendliness. There must be dialogue (vocal rather than electronic or print) between environmental managers and impactors to create a workable operating style. Maybe we need a new breed of professionals who will point out the problems and identify workable solutions to help create new environmentally friendly styles.

S Seegobin
Claxton Bay

Source: http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/letters/2009/12/21/blanchisseuse-balancing-quarrying-and-eco-tourism