Trinidad and Tobago— Almost three weeks after discussing his concerns with several top Government Ministers, including Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, about the proposed construction of a US$430 million CariSal Unlimited chlor-alkali/calcium chloride plant, environmental activist, Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, together with a small contingent of villagers, yesterday called on Government to explain why preliminary work had started at the Claxton Bay site.
Speaking to reporters after villagers staged a fiery and noisy placard demonstration in Pt Lisas, near an entrance road to the intended site, Kublalsingh said the activist group would also be having a “teleconference” meeting with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) which is funding the project) to discuss their concerns.
“We have a meeting next two weeks with the IADB. They are going to do some teleconferencing with us, they want to hear our concerns.
“So basically right now we have their loan for this project locked up,” Kublalsingh said.
“The reason why they can’t do anything at the moment is because they don’t have any money for it, so basically they did this (clear the site), was to save this institute because if they had waited any longer after March 17, they would have lost the certificate (of environmental clearance), and they would have had to reapply, so they just did a dig up here just for show, but they can’t do anything now.”
The villagers, some of whom bore placards which read “CariSal too Close and Save our Children”, burnt several tyres in an asphalt and dirt road leading to the proposed plant site.
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Article by Richardson Dhalai