‘Consult the people first’

Nov 18, 2021 News

– Region Four chairman insists residents must be consulted first before no-objection for new DHB

Kaieteur News – Chairman of Region Four, Daniel Seeram has turned down a Ministry of Public Works’ (MPWs) request to grant a no-objection for the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, insisting that the necessary consultations must be done first with nearby communities that could be impacted by the works.

Chairman of Region Four, Daniel Seeram

In an interview with the Kaieteur News on Wednesday, Seeram said that while the project is indeed poised to be transformative and beneficial in the reduction of traffic, “We are not satisfied that the residents have not been consulted.”
He detailed that the Permanent Secretary of the MPW, Vladim Persaud on November 2, 2021 issued a request for the Region to grant a no-objection to the project, citing that it is a national one that has already reached an advanced stage. In light of this letter of request, the Regional Chairman said he asked for a site visit, where the Ministry was asked whether it consulted residents, but it could not answer. But since the site visit, Seeram said that his office has been receiving multiple calls from residents in the area, with complaints and concerns about the project.
“They (MPW) don’t know the design or anything as yet for the project. They are putting the cart before the horse, because you can’t seek a no-objection without consulting residents who could be affected,” the Chairman noted.
He said that this move by the Government is “very disrespectful” to the residents of the area. “It is not that we won’t grant them no-objection, we are awaiting a public consultation,” he clarified.
The Chairman reminded that the bridge is proposed to pass through two ‘huge’ residential communities and the people must know how they stand to be impacted. “The ball is now in the Ministry’s court to ensure the consultations are done. The residents need to know how this construction will affect them, in terms of noise pollution, dust, etcetera,” he added.
Seeram told Kaieteur News that the Region is ready to welcome the project with open arms as it will greatly transform and relieve communities, however, it must do its part in representing the people. He was keen to note that while the Region is willing to conduct the Consultations, it is the technical officers from the Ministry of Public Works who would have to answer questions with regards to the project. A letter informing the Ministry of the Region’s requirement for a public consultation was issued on Tuesday. However the Region is yet to hear from the Government.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had earlier this year said that there was no need for an Environmental Impact Assessment of the project. The decision was taken despite the potential impacts from the construction of the replacement bridge—according to the project summary— which includes deforestation as a result of land clearing for the new project in addition to significant erosion.
Additionally, it was noted that potential exists for sedimentation and discolouration of the nearby water sources due to surface runoff, erosion and pile driving activities; and contamination of surrounding water bodies from fuel/oil/lubricants spills.
The decision was taken since the EPA, has through its screening process for the project, determined it being categorised as having no significant impacts and minor issues can be addressed through appropriate and practical environmental safeguards informed by an Environmental and Social Assessment and Management Plan.
That decision has since been made public by the EPA and provides for a 30-day window period for persons wishing to lodge formal complaints against the EPA’s decision or for any person who may be affected by the proposed project.
According to the EPA, it is satisfied that if a decision is taken to approve this project, robust measures can be prescribed to ensure compliance with the Environmental Protection Act.
To this end, it was pointed out that the Agency requires that an Environmental and Social Assessment and Management Plan (ESAMP) be prepared for the project to address specific issues identified in the screening process, and detail specific and practical mitigation measures to ensure that the proposed project can be undertaken in an environmentally-sound and sustainable manner.
According to the project summary prepared and submitted to the EPA by the Works Services Unit of the Public Works Ministry, the existing structure has surpassed its technical life.
As such, the proposed replacement structure by the Ministry advances a fixed four-lane bridge with a vertical clearance over the channel of approximately 50 metres above the maximum tide level. “The proposed design allows for the bridge to be connected to the main road network through road approaches connecting it to the West Bank Public Road and the imminent Mandela to Eccles road, respectively.”