No permit has been granted to Aecon to dredge for sand. This was disclosed by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Wednesday, February 1, while speaking on state radio.
The Aecon Group Inc. was awarded a US$170 million contract from the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to build a modernized cargo port.
Lawyer Jomo Thomas, on his Voices Program on WeFM on Monday, January 23, said he had obtained information that Aecon had been granted a permit to carry out dredging works between Brighton Beach and Stubbs Bay.
However, Gonsalves stated on Wednesday that the government had received a proposal from the contractors Aecon to dredge the seabed to obtain the material needed to fill in at Rose Place.
Thomas said that Aecon is expected to dredge 1.17 million cubic meters of sand from an area 820 yards south of and 550 yards from the Argyle International Airport, according to the information he had.
According to Gonsalves, despite what has been said, there are numerous outstanding issues that must be addressed.
“I see some people saying that the government has given Aecon a permit; that is not so; they received planning permission subject to certain conditions. The planning board doesn’t own the resource; the resource is owned by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “Adequate negotiations must take place with all of the conditions attached, some of which have been proposed by the planning department,” Gonsalves said.
According to those in the know, the area for which Aecon is seeking a permit to dredge is the main area for lobster and red snapper for fishermen from the Calliaqua area.
Dr. Andrew Simmons, an environmentalist, said on Jomo Thomas’ Voices Programme on Monday, 23 January, that the government’s reliance on Aecon Construction’s “geophysical surveys” to carry out works in the area if the information is correct was akin to “rats guarding cheese.”
Simmons said the dredging of sand off shore will destroy the fragile ecosystems—coral reefs, mangrove swamps, and seagrass beds—which are integral for coastal defense and fishing beds, which can potentially wipe out the livelihood of fisher folk in Calliaqua.
Initially, the company (Aecon) planned to import the sand from Suriname, according to Thomas.
