Don’t build roads near mangroves says FFOS

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Following the partial collapse of the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension, secretary of the Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) Gary Aboud issued a warning to the government that building in mangroves or on the edge of wetlands was ill-advised.

Aboud said, “What has happened today at Mosquito Creek is that $281 million has washed away. It is symptomatic of what is to come in the future.”

He explained that the collapse occurred because of liquefaction, which is a geological term used to describe soil that is loosely packed and water-logged near the ground surface.

“Are these unstable sediments likely to be responsible for the collapse of the recent Mosquito Creek Highway and will the Contractor or the good Minister pay for this catastrophe?

While hundreds of thousands of our people are suffering this COVID panic, why are we attempting to build a highway in mangrove areas where science has warned that liquefaction is bound to occur?” he asked.

He noted, “In 2018 acclaimed engineering seismologist, Dr Illias Papadopolous warned of the possibility of such an occurrence in Port-of-Spain.”

Aboud said the country should be ashamed of the wastage.

“We should learn from Mosquito Creek and prepare for future catastrophes at Invaders Bay and other similar areas,” he added.