CGB beach faces sudden destruction if left unchecked - Hon Pickering
“What that shows, at the rate at which the holes are continually being cut and the water and the water pouring moisture into the oceans surrounding us, that there is a great danger facing this area in particular,” Hon. Pickering revealed at a Government called community meeting at the Cane Garden Bay (CGB) Community Centre last evening, March 25, 2013.
This danger, he said, is the accumulation if dirt on the coral reef surrounding the beach in the CGB area. This means if this process is to go unchecked, the sediments that continue to be deposited on the coral in the greater CGB area over a period of time will cause the corals to die off. “The implications for that is if the coral reef dies then it starts to fall apart. When that happens the natural barriers for the ground swells is lost and that there means that the ground swells that we have been having for couple of weeks would not be breaking outside they would be breaking on the beach.”
Dr Pickering said this is a process that would result in the washing away of the sand, resulting in the destruction of the beach and in so doing the entire economy of CGB could be ultimately destroyed. In an attempt at looking at possible means of addressing the problems facing the CGB beaches, Hon. Pickering said he recently did a walk through with some residents and had a look at the relevant areas where the ghuts come down from the hill.
Two critical observations were noted, “We’ve got to create some sediments ponds to allow for the run off being able to settle instead of running directly into the bay. What has essentially happened is that we have destroyed most of the ponds in this area.”
He stressed that the ponds are the natural filter to the beaches and to date an engineer has been hired to look at some of the crucial areas in CGB which will lead to the re-creation of some ponds in the community. “I am further told by the engineers in this field that we need to do some hydrologic studies to look at the extent of the run offs and the water flows and vegetation and all that fancy stuff that is beyond my understanding,” said Hon Pickering.
In addition, he said Government is currently look at the development of a beach policy for which a draft was prepared some years ago but is believed to be too detailed. “I have told them that it is too much detailed for what we are trying to achieve at this point in time. So I am working to have it modified in a way that it would be able to be practicable.”
Hon. Pickering was keen in noting that the beach policy being worked on is for the entire Territory and not only for the CGB community.
It was also noted by the minister that the present draft policy for the beaches has sought to address all the problems in the CGB area without being forward thinking in its approach. “So I am working diligently to modify that beach policy and hopefully not in the not too distant future we’ll have something to present to the public.”
Hon. Pickering stressed that this is a situation that will and must be addressed as issues of the environment have a significant impact on the tourism industry of the Territory.
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