The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has stopped government financier, and preferred contractor for many state projects, Super Industrial Services Ltd (SIS) from backfilling land in the Caroni Swamp.
EMA's chairman Dr Allan Bachan said yesterday that he visited the area and saw people planting pigeon peas close to the site. He said the EMA would not allow any industrialisation in the swamp.
At the site yesterday, several workers were seen emptying hundreds of crocus bags of sand, saying their employer wanted the bags.
Contacted yesterday, Minister of the Environment Ganga Singh said when the matter was brought to his attention, the EMA investigated and the project was terminated.
"One state agency had given the position that the project fell outside the border of the swamp. The EMA later said that the backfilling was done in the swamp and since then the contractor has stopped all works. He said that he had no information that the backfilled area would be used as a stockpile for water pipes."
The Caroni Swamp, which comprises 8,398 hectares, is protected under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty which T&T signed for the conservation of wetlands.
The project, which started in early January, has caused concern among tour guides who believe the project may affect wildlife and eco-tourism.
In an interview last month, Victor Nanan, from Nanan's Bird Tours, said work at the site began in early January.
"Within the space of four weeks, they erected a road and started putting up a fence," Nanan said.
The Ministry of the Environment and the Forestry Division were alerted, Nanan said, and he was concerned when no one stopped the project.
"This kind of development is not good for wildlife. What happens if the project gets bigger and soon they start to do all kinds of industrial activity in the swamp? It is just not right," Nanan said.
He said for years tour guides had been begging the Government to repair the dilapidated bird tower which had long been used by avid birdwatchers. The tower was built under the Basdeo Panday administration but has since fallen into disrepair.
Nanan added that the road leading to the sanctuary was also in need of repairs.
"This sanctuary brings in foreign revenue for us and we need to protect the swamp, not destroy it," Nanan said.
Meanwhile, chairman of Caroni Wetlands Scientific Trust (CWST), Winston Nanan, said the organisation was keeping a close eye on the project. He said usually the trust was informed of any activity that could disturb the wildlife.
"In this case we were not informed but when we investigated we found out that the area is private and it was backfilled to store WASA mains that they are running from Port-of-Spain to Point Lisas," Nanan said.
Calls to WASA corporate communications manager Daniel Plenty's cellphone went directly to voicemail yesterday.
SIS director Terrence Lalla said last week he had no information about the pipeline project.