A billboard, recently erected in the Sapphire area by the Development Control Authority (DCA) has stirred up much discussion among a few residents of Laborie. In summary, the billboard mentions that the DCA is considering an application for approval in principle for a quarry in Sapphire, Laborie, and that any resident or landowner wishing to make comments and/or recommendations on this proposed development is required to make a submission in writing by July 11, 2022.
The idea to locate a quarry in Sapphire, Laborie has raised various environmental concerns, including land disturbance, noise, ground vibrations, emission of dust and rock blasting, by a group of residents in the Laborie community. In this post, we will be focusing on the concerns of the group and the response by the potential quarry owner on the quarrying process.
According to Loop News, the concerned citizens held a meeting on June, 29, 2022 to discuss their
concerns. The article reports on three pre-meeting comments by:
1 - Herricks [AKA Wacha] Renee: “I want
to tell them (DCA) we are not going to stand by to see another quarry in the
area because it will affect us in a number of ways. The air quality will be a
problem for us, our health will be affected and the value of our land will go
down………..”
2 - Avis Louisy: (Retired teacher) “We have one quarry already when it blasts
everybody feeling it... the dust is terrible. We don’t want another quarry in
the area.”
3 - Claire Louisy: “We are saying we need to have an explanation on what’s going on.”
In
providing an explanation to these concerns Mr Rayneau Gajadhar, CEO of Rayneau
Group Of Companies, on a radio show said that he welcomes these concerns which
are relevant to the topic. However, what must be done, the CEO thinks, "Is to
work with each other to mitigate whatever potential issues that they [the residents] may have
in relation to the quarry operation. That
can be done, that will be done when the time comes."
The land sited for the quarry Mr. Gajadhar
believes is ideal for quarrying because of its location and rocks quality.
In CIE quarries, strict protocols and safety
procedures to mitigate impact in the environment are followed. They have sought
to reduce or control the dire effects of the job through varying
means such as:
- Using
controlled rock blasting to prevent excess vibrations and noise pollution.
- Putting
up more visible safety fences for workers and civilians.
- Reducing
the dust produced by minimizing watering at the crushing site.
Mr Gajadhar says that while there are many different products on
the market to deal with issues relating to quarrying such as the reduction in
dust, noise and vibration, the technology available is expensive. However CIE’s
approach is to provide a specifically tailored solution that will provide
effective and long-term cost-effective control, which has no negative
environmental consequences.
Despite the downsides, quarrying is vital to our
everyday lives because of how it affects progress and infrastructure in the
long run. It is responsible for supporting not just business sectors but also
the people working in them. Quarrying, when done right, can
be productive and safe in its own right. The men and women involved have
proper training regardless of the work they’re assigned to. It does not only
improve health and safety measures, but also helps them understand how the
system works and how it affects the progress of the world.
The CEO vows to follow the right procedure to have
this application approved and that he is going to do whatever he has to do to “make
the process correct” for him to acquire that information.
The application process to get approval of the land for quarrying has been in the works since last November the CEO says.
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