Villagers of Cedros are pooling resources together to construct retaining walls along the battered southwest peninsula to save the coastline from further erosion.
Already more than 100 acres of private land at Granville has been swallowed by the sea, along with several homes, public roads and private estates.
A building constructed by the Siparia Regional Corporation in 2016 stands about 50 feet from the shoreline near Granville Beach and each day the sea draws closer.
In an interview councillor for Cedros, Shankar Teelucksingh said he planned to lobby the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Local Government and seek money from the Green Fund to get resources to save the coastline.
He said four years ago, a retaining wall was built as part of a self-help project which worked well in preventing erosion.
Now that the washroom facilities and carpark are in danger, Teelucksingh is renewing his plea for the Government to do restorative works immediately.
“If work does not commence soon, we will lose the land, just like what happened in Quinam. So far, we have not seen any meaningful work done by the ministry. At the Bamboo landslip in which three homes were destroyed, the Coastal Protection Unit (CPU) did no restorative work,” Teelucksingh said.
He said some residents, through their village councils, have raised funds to do small projects to save the beaches. “The beaches are the main form of income for many residents who depend on local and foreign tourism. Residents would have tried the recommendation from international and local agencies to save their properties,” Teelucksingh said.
He said residents have not received any compensation for the loss of their property.
“We are calling on the authorities to use the simple low-cost recommendations so we can save our coastline to facilitate tourism projects,” Teelucksingh said.
In a report submitted by the Coastal Protection Unit in 2016, it was recommended that a sloped and stepped Gabion Basket revetment be done to protect the area where the Siparia Regional Corporation facility was built.
An official from the Ministry of Works said that the CPU team will be visiting the Cedros area to assess the continued erosion.