The Council of Presidents of the Environment (COPE) and KARIRI consultants are inviting stakeholders to a public consultation meeting regarding updates from the Ministry of Works and Transportation (MOWT) and the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited - (NIDCO),
The purpose of the Consultation is to present information on the proposed design and construction of the Valencia to Toco Roadway Project.
The purpose of the consultation is to present information on the proposed project and the Environmental Impact Assessment.
The next round of meetings will be held on Wednesday 27th November 2019 at
1) the North Eastern Community Center, Duranta Gardens Sangre Grande
OR
2) the Toco Regional Complex, Cemetery Street, Toco.
The meeting, which will be conducted in a “townhall” format is being held from 6pm to 8pm.
You may contact NIDCO’s Project Officer, Ms. Navita Lyman-Mohan at 638-0493 Ext. 138 or nlyman@nidco.co.tt for any further information or clarification that you may require on the project. If you wish to confirm your attendance, please contact Kairi Consultants Ltd at 663 2677/1442 and cc admin@ttfnc.org on any emailed correspondence confirming your attendance.
While conducting the EIA study and other surveys, the project designs have been modified and is now linked to the Toco to Valencia Highway project; material excavated in the construction of the highway will be used for land reclamation needed to build the port facilities, instead of material dredged from marine areas. Additionally, the breakwater structure will now be constructed using a rock revetment and a not a sheet pile structure. This may have implications for the scheduling of Project construction since specific steps of port construction are now linked to steps in the highway construction process.
The estimated start date for physical construction of the Project is January 2021 but this estimate is contingent upon the timeline for CEC approval.
NOTICE FROM NIDCO
Thank you for your interest in the Toco Port Project and associated EIA process. At this time, we would like to provide an update on the Project and on the EIA process and timeline. Given your participation to date in the process you likely have an understanding of the general Project purpose and components, and we are attaching an informational brochure outlining general Project information.
Project Updates
While conducting the EIA study and other surveys, the project designs have been modified and is now linked to the Toco to Valencia Highway project; material excavated in the construction of the highway will be used for land reclamation needed to build the port facilities, instead of material dredged from marine areas. Additionally, the breakwater structure will now be constructed using a rock revetment and a not a sheet pile structure. This may have implications for the scheduling of Project construction since specific steps of port construction are now linked to steps in the highway construction process.
The estimated start date for physical construction of the Project is January 2021 but this estimate is contingent upon the timeline for CEC approval.
EIA Updates
The international environmental consulting firm ERM continues to progress the EIA. Baseline data collection activities that have occurred since the first Public Meeting in April 2019 include:
· Geotechnical survey in Toco Bay (April 2019)
· Baseline air monitoring and noise monitoring (June-October 2019)
· Rainy season biological surveys (September 2019)
· Socioeconomic focus groups with specific subpopulations in Toco (youth, fisherfolk, tourism operators – Sept 2019)
· Ecosystem services scoping workshop with NGO stakeholders (Sept 2019)
Currently ERM is working on assessment of the impacts and associated modeling studies. It is expected that the draft EIA report will be submitted to the EMA on or before December 31, 2019.
Public Consultation Updates
At the end of October, NIDCO and the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries held a meeting with the Toco Fisherfolk Association to discuss options for temporary fishing facility accommodations during the construction phase of the Project (estimated at 30 months).
It is anticipated that the public disclosure meeting to discuss the draft EIA results will be held in the first half of December 2019. It will be held at the Toco Regional Complex. Announcements notifying the public of the exact meeting date and time will be placed in the Newsday and Guardian newspapers at least one week prior to the meeting date.
Questions or Concerns?
We would like to remind you that any questions or concerns that you have about the Toco Port Project and/or the EIA process can be directed to tocoportfacility@nidco.co.tt or +1 868 638-8236. Attached to this email you will find a user guide that explains the Project’s process for receiving and responding to communications from stakeholders.
Kindest Regards,
DEVON RAMPERSAD |Project Engineer
Engineering and Programme Management
National Infrastructure Development Company Limited - NIDCO
The Atrium
Don Miguel Road Extension, San Juan
Trinidad and Tobago
1 (868) 638-8236 / 674-8042 (ext. 409)
1 (868) 784-7318
drampersad@nidco.co.tt / www.nidco.co.tt / www.facebook.com/nidcoltd