Some Comments on Toco Port Project EIA
Listen to the Science
‘Look thy last on All things Beautiful Every Hour’
By Walter de la Mare
by Nemme Mc Sweeney and Denis McSweeney
for Toco Folk Museum
April 2020 has recorded the second highest temperatures since records began in TT 75 years ago. As a direct result no less than 8 hurricanes are forecast for this year’s season with 4 of these being Category 3-5. This bears out the growing predictions that world temperatures are rising – they are expected to increase by at least1.5 C by 2030 and 2.2C by 2050.
Climate Change, now Climate Chaos is no longer a debatable issue but demonstrable fact being endured across the globe in the form of unstoppable forest fires, unseasonable storms and hurricanes, unpredictable extremes of weather conditions resulting in floods, freezes and heat spells endangering life and property not just confined to the vulnerable South – but including too the more prosperous and developed North. .
Yet 2020 is also the year in which the Government plans are being rolled out to construct a commercial industrial Port in one of the most exposed locations in Trinidad requiring the removal of a Coral REEF System, scarcely understood and incurring costs that have still not been captured in any data made available to the public. No cost benefit analysis has been provided despite queries being posed repeatedly at consultations. Please provide a cost benefit analysis as part of the justification for the Project.
Slowed down perhaps by the pandemic and claiming that the Post Covid 19 world requires things to be done differently, there is still no evidence that the project is to be cancelled as the EIA/CEC application remains in place.
Here, each year , in a phenomena locally referred to as Ground Sea ,spring tides with waves in excess of 25‘ habitually batter the coast and draws surfers from far and wide to test their mettle.
What is the TRUE RATIONALE for the Toco Port?
So what really is the purpose of the Toco Port? Very few of us who have attended the consultations are clear in our minds as to the Port’s true purpose, and this has not been made clear in the EIA Report(Section 3.1).I request further information on the objectives and more information in support of the justification for the proposed port.
Oil and Gas exploration was cited by the Prime Minister at the turning of the sod for the Valencia to Toco Highway but the narrative keeps changing.
‘NIDCO has full responsibility for the project which(Herbert) George is eager to get off the ground to stimulate industrial, commercial, eco tourism and residential activity in the underdeveloped northeastern district which has a population of 75,000.”
See’ Billion dollar Toco Port to start weeks before general election’ by Shaliza Hassanali
T.G.7.October 2019
’the primary purpose of the Project is to provide an inter island ferry port…modern marina…Coast Guard facility…a modern fishing facility at Toco Bay .It is expected that the Project will encourage economic development in the Toco area, including increased agriculture, tourism and fisheries sector activity.
Multipurpose Port in Toco, Trinidad and Tobago-Project Summary –Public Consultation,16-12-2019
But elsewhere, the Port is being touted as a National Port and a trigger for Diversification of the economy .
It is an undisputed fact that the wider North East Region, including here in Sangre Grande, Valencia and the M2M villages have been ritually neglected and are in sore need of appropriate development.
‘Sangre Grande has the most poor persons per 100 in the national population: 39.1 % of the Sangre Grande population was deemed to be living under the poverty line.’
So, Kairi Consultants were commissioned and drew up the Sangre Grande Municipal RDP 2010-2020.
That being said, Kairi’s recommendations for the development of the M2M communites are distinctly different to that of the rest of the Sangre Grande region.
‘All in all, emphasis should be placed on sustaining the current forest environment, the bays, the rivers and the vistas and the tranquility of the various locations which form part of their character. Thus, tourism development should be in harmony with the natural environment. Equally important is the need to reduce the potential for large concentrations of visitors in any one place’
SGMRDP p.67
But the plan advocates ‘strengthening‘ measures providing support from a collaboration of both Public and Private Sector Agencies.
While Agriculture is encouraged in the M2M region, Agro Processing and other Industrial facilities are advocated for the larger Sangre Grande area.
‘The region can become a premier location in the world context of eco-friendly development of fragile eco-systems …in that regard, UTT and UWI have a vested interest in being involved in an effort that might bring international repute to both institutions.’ SGMRDP p.75
REMOVAL OF THE TOCO REEF
While one report claimed that the reef will not be impacted ERM’S EIA speaks of approximately 74000m3 of material will be dredged from the 98000m3 Project Area of (Toco Reef) EIA 5-29 with wholly unconvincing plans to eventually replace with 42,800 m3 of an Artificial Reef. EIA 5-36/6-4
5-36-An additional mitigation measure for the dredging impacts on the hard bottom marine communities is the installation of artificial reefs at locations to be decided…
Again the science has pointed out the difficulty of replicating the complex ecology which produces reefs and the expense involved would not be feasible.
The impact to the Reef will be significant and the artificial reef proposed as mitigation will be inadequate. I urge you to consider that this impact will not be acceptable.
So,even if this were implemented , the expected Water Quality would make this impossible.
5-31 ‘Currently Stormwater runoff from Toco is not treated or controlled…Stormwater contamination impacts from the operation of the Project are evaluated to be of Medium magnitude due to the increased amt of vessel fuelling and maintenance expected.
Imagine that the project finds that there is no existing water treatment facility at the Bay and even as it anticipates the quality to be immeasurably degraded by Port construcion and operation,there are still no plans to construct a facility commensurate with the anticipated effluent discharge to be expected from a rapidly developing residential/commercial community and heavy industrial discharges into the bay from fuel use and not to mention the notoriously effluent rich pleasure boat sector.
p.5-20 Above Water Noises -Mention is even made of Cruise ships not once raised in consultations
LISTEN TO THE SCIENCE we have been daily reminded and warned during this strange lockdown period of coronavirus. Yet, all signs are that the science is being studiously ignored by the Government and ERM in trying to defend the Toco Port Project.
So sea levels are expected to rise and Caribbean countries such as ours are designated SIDS with particular vulnerability. Coastal erosion is accelerating across the island and mitigation measures can scarcely keep up with the ravaging effects on coastal communities.
Now, Coral Reefs are globally accepted as natural mitigation defense against rising seas and hotter temperatures protecting us to some extent from galloping coastal erosion and ever more devastating storms.
So,listen to the Science!
Dr.Peter Roopnarine is Curator of Geology at the Institute for Biodiversity,Science and Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences.He says,
“the summary(of ocean scientists) is that the oceans are in very bad shape.Our best estimates now…is that there may be very little habitable area for corals by2100.Our best hope is to protect as much diversity as possible and hope for the best”correspondence,24/02/2020
Furthermore,food shortages are also anticipated to increase and reefs are well known nurseries of edible marine species .But globally, they and the entire ocean environment are under threat almost solely as a result of human activity. Therefore,they are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Meanwhle,” American environmental entrepreneurs are experimenting with land based coral farms to grow warming resilient corals to replenish decimated reefs’ but’ large scale coral restoration …is going to have a large price tag’
The Climate Change Countdown by Erline Andrews,Caribbean Beat 2019
So,expensive initiatives are being carried out in some environments to replicate reef conditions which may then be replanted in suitable environments, so valuable is this natural asset. Yet we are about to ruthlessly extract ours with little understanding of its purpose.
We read of reports by the developers that Toco Bay is not a critical habitat .
So says Structural Engineer Dr.Arun Buch of Arun Buch & Associates who conducted the April 2019 Consultation and who were hired by NIDCO to carry out conceptual planning and preliminary designs for the Toco Port.
He vigorously defended the choice of the Toco Bay /Grand L’Anse site in an article published ‘ In defence of proposed Toco Port’.
Sunday Guardian -02-06-2019
Mr. Buch, offering a personal view of similar development elsewhere says
”Why cannot Kashmir duplicate Bhutan, a quaint eco-friendly, Shangri- La with its independence and much cherished natural beauty in abundance untouched. Not littered with concrete jungles called development shrouded in pollution” Kashmir- Rape of the valley- Daily Express,13-08-2019
Biologists Dr.Stanton Belford and respected UWI Lecturer the late Dr. Dawn Phillips are amongst the few to have studied the Toco Reef System-from Grand L’Anse Bay to Salibia Bay.
In interview with Dr. Anjani Ganase of SpeSeas , Dr Belford explained that apart from being Trinidad’s only Reef System, the largely understudied resource is unique because it has survived and thrived in extreme conditions , ‘turbulent, turbid and flushed by nutrient rich Orinico waters.’and ‘To scientists these marginal environments are mysteries that give insight into survival in sub – optimal or even challenging conditions.
“This emerging type of research on coral reefs is invaluable especially as humans continue to push their ecosystems from their thriving states to more compromised conditions…..Persistence in extreme and isolated environments over a long time may result in genetic adaptation , which may lead to the evolution of different species that may no longer consider the environment marginal owing to the specialized traits developed.”
Newsday,02-01-2020 ,Protect Toco Reefs,by Dr.Anjani Ganase
Much has also been made in ERM’s EIA to belittle and minimise the commercial,scientific and aesthetic value of the Toco habitat to justify its removal. 5-30 says ‘No information was available on the seawater turbidity or chemical composition of the Project site, so how convincing is their argument that there are no vulnerable species in the area?
But Lobsters ,Sea Turtles ,Bottle nosed Dolphins are only some of the more obvious visitors or dependents . Villagers more traditionally harvest chitons and whelks as well and land crabs are found in numbers above the beach.
5-29 – The dredging activities will be a 17 month portion of the project….and impacts to the water quality …are likely to be Medium Magnitude.
5-29 cont’d…Receptors such as Fish,Turtle, marine mammals? None mentioned , and seabirds are expected to have low sensitivity ot changes due to dredging because they can leave the Project Site.
Please evaluate accurately the impacts of dredging on sensitive receptors such as fish,turtles and mammals.
5-30 Placement of Fill/Dredging Material
Earlier consultations indicated fill would be sourced by barge from Studley Park in Tobago. The Plan has now been changed whereby fill is being sourced from the Northern Range being material removed for construction of The Valencia Toco Highway.So now, will fill be transported on the road and how does this address the earlier concern about the project’s impact on the existing road and its possible contamination which was cited as an issue in earlier plans?
I have collected volutes,cowries,penshells, trumpet tritons,immature queen conch , olive and flamingo tongue for the Museum’s collection and Fisherman Sayeed Mohammed contributed fascinating specimens of Batfish,cowfish,mantis Shrimps , gurnards ,sunfish ,all of which were found in or around Toco Bay.(Google Toco Folk Museum-UWIZM Photos of the Museum’s collection by Mike Rutherford)
I have included photos of some of the huge variety of Migrant waterfowl which find the rich substrate at Toco Bay irresistible. Plovers,Turnstones,Willets; Dowitchers,Yellowlegs and Sandpipers visit in numbers and I haven’t mentioned the many hummers,kingfishers, honeycreepers etc.which occur year round.Would all this life be supportable by a dead habitat?
Please evaluate accurately the impact on these species which depend on the habitat at the site.
TOCO BAY - SAD ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN and the SGMRDP
Descending from Toco Village,the majestic view of the Bay and the magnificent Caribbean Sea spread out before the viewer is one of the most exhilarating anywhere,engendering a feeling of joy and reverence for the magnificence of God’s creation. Nearby is Baptist Bay and Spiritual Baptist Churches and Prayer houses have long existed here. At least 2 of these survive in nearby Cemetery St. where 3 other denominations also have erected places of worship.
EIA 5-23/5-24/5-26 Deal with Noise levels generated during Construction and Operation of the Project.
5-23 Construction Noise Pollution levels in TT are exempt between 7am-7pm
5-24 Pile Driving noise levels will exceed TT Noise level limits and well above ambient sound levelsand will continue for the duration of construction
In 5-26 Daytime noise levels occur from7am-10pm.
One wonders how the Schools,Churches and permanent residents will survive this level of Noise which clearly will be a permanent feature of life near the site.
This matchless view is still only one of the many factors which gave rise in 2000 to the SAD for Toco’S Alternative Development Plan for the region.
Threatened that year with a similar plan,Toco Port and Ferry Services, the ADP grew out of true community consultations conducted over several months and threw up another regional umbrella body M2M or Matura to Matelot which embraced suggestions from all theCBOs and NGOs on the coast.
Their deliberations were later incorporated into the Sangre Grande MunicipalRegional Development Plan 2010-2020 commissioned by the Government of the day .This plan was later incorporated in to the Integrated Development Plan for the Sustainable Development of the Sangre Grande Region -2009
ASCRIBING DOLLAR VALUE TO NATURAL ASSETS
Professor Dr.John Agard – ex Chairman of EMA and now Head of Life Sciences Dept., U.W.I. had this to say about the despoliation of our environment.
Prof. Agard “The Government talks about ‘growth poles’…We seem to only associate value with things we pay money for” he said, while asking the question:”If we despoil the environment then what are we leaving?”
He said we are so busy accounting for the wealth from oil and gas money, we fail to see the wealth from our own natural environment. He commented that accounting systems that only value such indicators as the GDP are in effect a form of false accounting. And he argued for the preservation of valuable environmental spaces which in the long term would yield return visitors and a far greater longer lasting and more diverse value than the one –time monetary value obtained from destroying such spaces forever. “We have to seed our culture with the kinds of values that will allow us to have the society we so desire”.
Time to protect our real treasures by Shereen Ali,
Sunday Guardian 04-June,2014
So, has the natural asset of the Port Site been ascribed a monetary value, because to not do so would not be a true reflection of the Project’s actual cost?
Factor in the combined cost of the mitigation measures required, as are littered throughout this EIA and then we would be gauging its true cost.
SOCIAL and CULTURAL FALLOUT
Plans for the Toco Port and Ferry Service last emerged in 2000 and challenges and queries posed then remain even more relevant today.
Toco Folk Museum in our Quarterly Newsletter of 1999 raised many questions which remain viable today.
We invited Mr. Edward Hernandez of the Tobago Museum to give us his views as Tobago was emerging from similar scenarios. He warned,
“The community must be cautious of land speculators and developers. (Residents) will be marginalized if large scale development takes place….Finally, in considering Government’s proposals there is a need to examine not only the environmental impact, but moreso the social and cultural impact on the people and its long term effects. The backlash of this type of development in Tobago has resulted in beach and soil erosion, pollution of bays and beaches, strains on health, sanitation, drainage, water, roads and transport services. Rapid increase in traffic and use of illicit drugs. A pronounced development in male and female prostitution. An increase in prices of basic commodities ,services and recreation, an increase in rape and incest, crime against persons and theft. A constant increase in sexually transmitted diseases and an alarming number of people with mental problems. It is a frightening picture caused in the main by rapid unchecked tourism development.
Toco Folk Museum Quarterly4:Oct.-Dec.1999 Comments on Toco Port and Ferry Service Consultations By Edward Hernandez, Curator ,Tobago Museum
RECORD ON MAINTENANCE vs. Implementation of Toco Port Mitigation Measures
Already, illegal land grabbing is taking place throughout the region for all to see.
Squatters rush to build on lands for Toco Port-Trinidad Guardian June 30th ,2019 by Shaliza Hassanali highlights the appropriation of state lands along the entire stretch of Galera Road and towards La Foret Point.
Several articles have also highlighted the almost criminal desecration of Salibay Beach where permanent vendors booths, toilets and campsites have been constructed with active state collusion as evidenced by the SGRC Chairman’s remarks.
Vega de Oropouche, Matura Stretch, Valencia and elsewhere along the coast squatting, land grabbing, removal of forest all proceed unimpeded and demonstrate the authorities’ inability or unwillingness to stop it. In fact, infrastructure such as water and electricity appear overnight enabling these settlements to establish a permanent presence.
Unregulated building on Mission Beach, Grand L’Anse Bay, declared a turtle nesting site by the EMA a few years ago, occurs in full glare of regulating bodies as this is located on the main road.
Authorities seem helpless to address widespread dumping in watercourses of plastic waste, tyres, home appliances and commercial waste etc. and worst of all illegal and unregulated quarrying in Matura, Valencia and elsewhere.
So how can we put faith in NIDCO‘s capacity, even if we approved of the Port, to implement the numerous expensive and skill hungry measures needed to manage the Toco Port and mitigate the vast range of challenges which will require continuous monitoring and timely implementation ?
At least the 2000 Ferry plan involved the Private Sector Company Building and Operating the project for 15 years before passing into state hands.
Fuel spills, degraded water quality, light and noise pollution, waste management, loss of reef habitat, loss of traditional recreational, cultural and religious sites and activities; disruption of Sea Turtle Nesting and Dolphin migration; disruptions in water current patterns leading to unpredictable beach changes and land erosion –consequences clearly beyond the scope of the EIA drafters, not to mention the huge disruption in the social and cultural fabric as can be anticipated in Mr. Hernandez’ summary.
WHAT INFRASTRUCTURE?
While a highly elaborate design has been produced for the Toco Port no thought seems to have been given to the provision of the means by which the very activities it is meant to stimulate and nurture, can come into being. No infrastructure.
As noted at the last consultation, no plans have been articulated to increase water supply to the anticipated growth in residential activity; no additional security measure, Coast Guard aside, no Fire Station, no Agricultural access roads or Marketing or Agro Processing facilities , no plans for developing Nature trails, training tour guides, providing signage, supporting guest house owners. Roads along the coast are in dire condition and apart from being criminally neglected are also edging perilously closer to the pounding waves in places like Penzance, Rampanalgas, Sans Souci and Matelot due in large part to coastal erosion.
At the April Consultation last year, one of the State’s engineers responsible for upkeep of roads in the region spoke of frustrations with aged and inadequate staff (2 persons assigned), lack of disbursements of funds for repairs and materials and inadequate or non functioning equipment to carry out routine repairs along the Toco and Paria Main Roads .
Will all these challenges magically disappear?
So what is meant when the Prime Minister defines the Port as infrastructure meant to stimulate development in the region?
Activity there surely will be but does this comprise appropriate development to address the core issue of underdevelopment in the region, when no plan was presented to show how the infrastructure of the region will be developed to match the functioning Port or even, where lies the responsibility to co-ordinate it? Thank you .
Compiled13-05-2020
Denis McSweeney
Nemme Mc Sweeney
for Toco Folk Museum