The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) says it has found no breaches of environmental requirements in works being carried out at the Queen’s Park Savannah ahead of Independence Day celebrations, as criticism grows over the government’s decision to relocate the parade.
The EMA said it investigated concerns raised publicly about the works and found that they were temporary in nature and did not breach its regulations.
During a site visit, EMA officers observed two temporary ramps built over box drains and a temporary stage surrounded by a perimeter fence.
A metal ramp had been placed over a box drain, while a gravel-sand mixture had been temporarily placed on either side. The EMA said no paving or caulking had been carried out and no excavation works were observed.
The investigation was conducted in accordance with Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) Designated Activities 8 and 9.
The EMA concluded that the works did not breach its regulations.
The findings came as former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Stuart Young criticised the government over the decision to move the Independence Day Parade to an area opposite President’s House.
In a statement on Friday, Young said residents leaving Cascade, St Ann’s and Belmont had faced “chaotic gridlock traffic” and blamed the United National Congress (UNC) administration’s decision to relocate the celebrations.
He also criticised the works at the Savannah, questioning whether the government had ensured that the site’s aquifers would not be polluted by paving materials and chemicals seeping into the ground.
“Who is winning?” Young asked.
Young’s comments came amid separate criticism from environmental group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), which has condemned construction works at the Savannah.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its corporate secretary Gary Aboud, FFOS warned that what it described as “temporary enhancements” for the Independence Day celebrations could result in permanent degradation of the capital’s 232-acre green space.
The group also accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s administration of treating the historic Savannah as its private property.
The EMA’s assessment, however, found no breach of its environmental regulations based on the works observed during its site visit.
