Dear Editor:
Environmental Charade?
Throughout the world it has become highly appropriate to be concerned about the environment. We have summits, meetings, Councils and all kinds of pronouncements about our intentions. Follow-through becomes the real test.
Articles in the most recent Anguillian about the launching of the Environmental Research Institute and British stipulations regarding the 60M pounds were quite timely. Yet another environmental initiative. The British continue to be concerned about how we do business. As a 30 plus year resident and Belonger, I have a vested and sincere interest in the betterment of Anguilla and want the absolute best for everyone on the island. That dream is totally dependent on economic development and tied directly to the island’s environment.
This week a home owner in Cul-de-Sac took it upon himself to begin excavating the shoreline in front of his home. While the work was being performed a huge plume of clay sediment was washing (and continues) into the eastern shore of Rendezvous Bay. It is my understanding that Rendezvous is a protected bay and, as such, this type of activity is prohibited. Government agency officials were notified and reported that they told the contractor to cease operations. Increasing activity on and around eastern Rendezvous has caused silt sediment resulting in frequent cloudy water with any wave action. As soon as the officials left, excavation resumed and continues. A visit to the same authorities, a second time, resulted in their admission that their hands were tied and enforcement is often a political matter. Interesting that our local government representative is also the Minister of Environmental Affairs. Draw your own conclusions.
We frequently address the concept of the island’s environment and its impact on the tourism package, not to mention the fishing industry etc. We have school programs, meetings and slogans. All the while the garbage cans are overflowing, littering is still widespread and the redi-mix trucks still wash out their tubs along the road in a sloppy puddle – and sand is still removed from beach areas. It isn’t the tourists pitching their cans and bottles out the window or driving the trucks. Many Anguillians simply don’t care. Tourists do.
The Cul-de-Sac event is quite telling. We live on an island where people do as they please and the rules are enforced at the will of the government. People only pay taxes if they want to, but are not pursued. The big hotels either don’t pay or engineer exemptions while the citizens are hassled for meager fees at the entry ports. Services are next to none because the citizens refuse to pay for them. A fully functional Public Works Department would do wonders cleaning up the beaches and roadsides thereby changing the entire perception of the island. Our beaches are still littered with hurricane debris.
I make these points not simply to be critical. I tend to enjoy the laid-back lifestyle of the Caribbean. What we must be careful of is not to let that attitude lap over into the operation of the island. Another 600 feet on the runway, or another luxury hotel, won’t produce a 5-star resort island. It is far more than that. I commend Anglec on the amazing job they did restoring power. Now it is time to finish the job and pick up the mess of broken poles, wires in the street and old transformers full of PCBs along the road. This is a mighty small island. It won’t take many more incidents like the one described in Cul-de-Sac to ruin the marine environment we have built our economy around. It’s time to get our act together and start taking the long view. The 60M pounds may depend on it. Our mother country understands it.
Concerned in Cul-de-Sac
