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Oct 07, 2021 News
– Public hearing to be held today
By Kiana Wilburg
Kaieteur News – Residents of Felicity, Happy Acres, Le Ressouvenir, and Atlantic Gardens on the East Coast of Demerara, are contesting efforts by Trinidadian firm, Vista Trading and Logistics, to establish a specialised concrete batching plant and storage facility in their community.
The protest follows the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to exempt the project from the requirement of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The residents are challenging this decision on several grounds and are expected to register their concerns at a public hearing today.
In a letter seen by Kaieteur News, it was noted that the first appeal against the project was lodged by Shahabudeen Ahmad and Singer Guyana Inc. in a letter dated June 25, 2021. In the appeal filed by Dhurjon Chambers, Attorneys-at-Law, it was noted that both clients are residents in the immediate community being Le Ressouvenir, where the project is to be constructed.
The first issue of contention by the concerned parties pertains to “deceptive and inadequate” information of the project being exempt from an EIA. Ahmad and Singer through their lawyers said, “Crucially, the publication (of the EPA notice on June 6, 2021) concealed from the public’s knowledge, the fact that the intended project is truly a specialised concrete batching plant and distribution centre in addition to a mere storage facility as was suggested by the notice. This can only be realised through reading the summary submitted by the developer.”
In fact, the concerned residents noted that the developer intends for the primary function of the facility to be batching and distribution of cement for oil wells rather than storage. With this in mind, it was noted by the concerned parties that the publication by the EPA on June 6, 2021 effectively deceived the public and deprived it of knowing the true nature of the intended project.
It was noted that the said publication of the EPA failed to mention whether the EIA was waived for the construction of the facility or its operation. Additionally, it was highlighted that the public documents used in connection with the project contained no plans (approved or otherwise), illustrations or explanation of what would be the physical layout or actual methodology of the intended facility across the acre it intends to occupy. “Only such information could enable the EPA to determine that the facility would not ‘significantly affect’ the environment,” the parties noted to the EPA Head, Mr. Kemraj Parsram.
Other residents have since lodged similar concerns about Vista’s project. In another letter dated October 5 to Parsram, residents were keen to note that the proposed location of this facility being Tract A2 Felicity and Le Ressouvenir, poses significant risks to the community, including exposure to harmful air pollutant emissions associated with cement plants. Residents highlighted that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has substantiated these risks, finding that the cement sector is the third-largest industrial source of pollution, emitting more than 500,000 tonnes per year of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide.
It was further noted that cement dust plumes are inevitable and are far-reaching especially because of the airflow and Trade-winds on the Coast. With this in mind, they posited that hundreds of Guyanese who have been living in these densely populated residential areas for decades, will be subjected to breathing one of the deadliest kind of air pollution—Particulate Matter—which is linked to serious health conditions, including reduced lung development in children, higher rates of asthma, bronchitis, heart disease and cancer.
Additionally, residents noted that heavy-duty trucks loading and offloading will cause noise pollution while waiting to pick up as many loads every day, emitting even more pollutants like black carbon and nitrogen dioxide. They said these trucks will tear up roads, drainage ditches and other infrastructure while adding that attempts to wash away the dust may end up creating an ugly, muddy, slurry that tracks all over the affected communities.
In their letter to the EPA, residents said, “We are concerned about the health risks from these detrimental air-quality issues, especially in such close proximity to our homes and our families. For these reasons, we strongly believe that the plant’s proposed location is wholly unsuitable for the intended purpose and firmly assert our objection to the approval of this project.”
POOR DISCLOSURE
Residents also protested the poor disclosure by the EPA of the project as first noted by Singer and Ahmad. In their missive, they said, “We only now discovered that there was a single ‘Public’ Notice published in the least read newspaper in Guyana, the Guyana Chronicle, on June 6, 2021. That notice required appeals against the decision of the EPA to not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), to be filed within 30 days of that notice.”
They continued, “…We find it unreasonable and unacceptable that a ‘Public’ Notice would be published only once in a newspaper with the least circulation, and not in the other daily newspapers in Guyana which have much higher readership.”
The residents are of the view that the EPA deliberately endeavoured to keep their actions secret, “to the detriment of the people of Guyana whose health and welfare ought to be protected.”
The residents stressed too, that this manner of publication of the said notice effectively deprived all citizens of the opportunity to file/register an appeal within the prescribed time of 30 days from the date of publication.
Be that as it may, the residents said they will attend and participate in the Public Hearing of the Appeals which is fixed for October 7, 2021 at 2pm via Zoom as well as at the EPA’s office.
The residents warned that if they feel their concerns are not heard, they will immediately commence legal action “to stop the perpetration of unlawful and illegal activities.”
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