Breach of Sea Defence Ordinance

Dear Editor,

It was reported in the media on October 30 that Celina Atlantic Resort (CAR) has been cutting down Courida and other trees growing on the Kitty foreshore to expand its facilities.

The Sea Defence Ordinance, a Chapter in the Laws of Guyana clearly states it is an offence to build any structure and/or cut down trees on the sea defence and its reserve, which is where CAR facilities are located, without prior written authority from the Sea Defence Board (SDB). It is evident therefore that CAR has been beaching the Laws of Guyana with impunity unless it had received permission from the SDB to do so but to date no such permission has been recorded in the Minutes of the Meetings of the SDB.

In the interest of good governance, the APNU/AFC government through its Ministry of Public Infrastructure should take immediate steps to curb these Lawless acts by CAR since their action can have adverse consequences on the welfare of people living in Kitty and adjoining areas.

After all, people with political affinity and get-rich-schemes should not be allowed to take the law into their hands to pursue their agendas as they see fit and in the process endanger the lives and welfare of others.

It is worth noting that the previous government had received a grant from the European Union to plant mangroves on a stretch of foreshore on East Coast Demerara to stabilize its mud bank and to provide a first line of protection by damping incoming waves thus enhancing the integrity of the sea defence behind it. The action of CAR cutting down the trees in a critical area of the Kitty foreshore to expand its facilities can only weaken the sea defence system there since during cycles of erosion of the foreshore, there will be no trees to stabilize it.

Therefore any exposure of the toe of the concrete seawall structure due to erosion of the foreshore could imperil its stability and hence its ability to protect Kitty and adjoining areas from flooding due to high tide levels with severe wave action.

Guyanese will recall not so long ago overtopping of the sea defence which caused severe flooding in the Kitty/Subryanville/Bel Air Spring areas. There were no trees on the foreshore at this location as a first line of defence to dampen wave action and therefore the concrete seawall was overwhelmed and failed to provide the necessary protection from overtopping of incoming waves with large amplitudes.

However, trees and a built-up foreshore in the CAR area at the time had prevented the Ocean from overtopping the sea defence at this location thus saving this section of Kitty from flooding.

Yours faithfully,

Charles Sohan