The hills are angry - The Peter O'Connor column

Late last year, following several landslips and road closures, and unfortunately, one fatality (or should we say “fortunately, only one fatality”?), Minister of Works Jack Warner announced that “the hills are angry!”

It was the first time in my memory that any government minister, far less a Minster of Works, acknowledged the connectivity of deforestation, “development”, quarrying, and slash and burn farming with landslips and flooding in the short-term, and loss of water resources, wildlife and quality recreation space in the longer term.

Warner was speaking after “normal heavy rainfall” (as described by the Meteorological Office) had caused landslips along several hillside roads, and severe flooding in the Diego Martin and Maraval Valleys.

The indiscriminate destruction of our forests for development had brought “the anger of the hills” down upon us — floods of Mother Nature’s tears in Maraval and Diego Martin, and the angry sliding down of the hills throughout the Northern Range.

And this is why, dear readers, when the good folks at the Asa Wright Nature Centre saw a massive quarry expansion, “in their face” in the Arima Valley, they cried out in protest! And for so many valid reasons: The first being the impending loss of a world-famous panoramic view of the lush green forested Arima Valley as seen from the Asa Wright Verandah. But the concerns run much deeper than that of course.

The deforestation was required to make way for the dynamite blasts that would eventually remove a whole mountainside, and would destroy all the wildlife in the area. As the de facto custodian of the forest and its inhabitants in the Arima Valley, the centre had to protest against this quarry expansion, and the destruction it would bring.

And the protest was joined by thousands — via the media, and the internet and Facebook. It was heartening to observe this sudden awakening by our people to the importance of our natural environment. The overseas inputs were welcomed too, but we really expected that; first world peoples have learned, bitterly, about the real cost of destroying their natural environment.

But the most welcome, and surprisingly so, was the immediate response from the Government. Environment groups in TT have grown wary and weary at the dismissive attitude regarding their concerns, by successive governments. And rightly so. True patriots of the land, environmentally concerned people seek to preserve the very foundations of our existence—the earth, water and air which give life to all of us and all living creatures.

I wrote my concerns in a letter to Newsday and copied several Government ministers. I received, within an hour of sending, concerned responses from the Ministers of Energy and Energy Affairs, Housing and the Environment and Works and Infrastructure. 

A letter sent to the Minister of Planning and Development by AWNC chair Dr Judith Gobin also received a swift and positive response. Both of these letters suddenly appeared on Facebook, and as they say — “the matter went viral!” 

Newsday published my letter on Thursday 8th, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from Senator Kevin Ramnarine, Minister of Energy, that same evening! He told me he wanted to come up to Asa Wright for 8 am the following morning, to see the situation for himself. So directors were called to be there to meet the Minister and party, and breakfast of buljol, roast bake and Asa Wright’s exclusive Mountain Ebony coffee was organised.

Minister Ramnarine listened to the concerns, clearly greater than just the loss of the view, then went to meet some of the overseas guests on the verandah, where he also looked at the destruction being wrought. He left with a bag of Mountain Ebony Coffee presented to him by Judith Gobin, but, and I suppose, correctly, promised us nothing at that time, other than careful consideration.

The announcement came on the following Tuesday afternoon: The expansion must stop immediately, and the trees felled by the bulldozers must be replaced by the Forestry Division! Government also announced that it would bring the granting of new quarry licenses back under the control of the Environmental Management Authority. 

I was privileged to attend that “signing-over” ceremony along with AWNC chairman Dr Gobin, when Minister Ramnarine and Minister of Housing and the Environment, Dr Roodal Moonilal, put the issue of quarrying back under the EMA.

We still have a long way to go, of course. But in March 2012, TT took a major first step on our journey towards First World Environmental Sustainability. And that journey does not pass the Waterfront Complex.

This past week, as I walked the forested trails at Asa Wright, I heard the hills whispering in the breeze rustling in the canopy above. And they were saying” “tell them all thank you!”

And hopefully, soon, the hills will be angry no more.