Wrensford visits Old Road Bay project; says damage caused by Tropical Storm Karen “very significant”

Portions of reclaimed land at the multi-million dollar Old Road Bay Rehabilitation Project have been washed away as a result of heavy seas from Tropical Storm Karen which passed some 150 miles away from St Kitts overnight.

Tuesday afternoon, September 24, the high seas were still pounding the area and causing further damage.

The project, financed by the Government of St Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of China (Taiwan) began without an Environmental Impact Study and consultation with residents and fishermen who know use the nearby sea as a fishing ground.

Ambassador Steve Wrensford, the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party candidate for the area has consistently raised concerns that the project not only began without an EIA, but also a wave study and had warned of the potential threat to the settlements further along the coastline.

Tuesday afternoon, the former senior social security official toured the area to inspect the damage, which he said “is significant.”

He disclosed that residents in the area have complained that their houses are now being flooded where they have never been flooded before.

“This is unacceptable, and this would not be happening if a proper EIA had been done before the project began,” said Wrensford.

Wrensford, a former St Kitts and Nevis Non-Resident Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago issued another call on the coalition government to make sure that the project is done properly with a view to providing the people with the best options.