Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
A Tabaquite family is calling on the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to urgently relocate a chicken farm built directly opposite their home—an operation they say has left them ill, isolated, and living in “prison-like” conditions for years.
Reshmi Persad, who lives at John Trace, Brothers Road, New Grant, with her parents, Moolchan and Bhagwandaye Persad, and her four-year-old daughter, said the structure was initially introduced to residents as a greenhouse. But when galvanised sheets began arriving, she said the family realised a poultry operation was being constructed just metres from their home.
Since then, Persad said, she has made repeated appeals to public health officials, the EMA, Town and Country Planning, the Ombudsman’s Office and other authorities—without success. Her request, she said, has always been the same: relocate the farm further down on the owner’s land, away from residential homes.
“This farm has caused havoc in our lives. We are living like prisoners inside this house,” Persad said. “We have to tape up the windows because the smell comes through every tiny crease. My four-year-old sleeps right there, and the AC pulls in everything.”
She explained that their section of the roadway is classified as residential, while the farm sits on agricultural land. Despite this, she said, the intense odours, dust, and large numbers of corbeaux have made daily living unbearable—especially during rainfall and high winds, when the stench becomes “horrific.”
Persad’s mother, Bhagwandaye, who previously only managed hypertension, said she has now developed severe asthma and receives ongoing treatment at both the San Fernando and Mount Hope chest clinics. Persad believes the constant dust and odours from the farm triggered her mother’s respiratory decline.
“Sometimes she’s gasping for breath. I had to buy a nebuliser because the nearest health centre is far, and we can’t wait when she gets chest pains and breathing problems,” she said.
She added that her four-year-old daughter also falls ill frequently.
“My concern is—will she start life with a lung disease because of this? She cannot play outside, cannot ride her bike, cannot even enjoy a pool day. We cannot celebrate anything at our home,” she said.
Persad said she and several villagers initially signed a petition, but many later requested confidentiality out of fear. She estimates that approximately 30 residents in the immediate area are affected.
When Guardian Media visited, the stench was evident at the Persad home but not inside the chicken pens, where the owner took the team on a tour. The pen was well ventilated, and barriers had been installed to reduce dust. The owner said all necessary approvals had been granted by the relevant authorities and, after a significant financial investment, relocation was not an option. He maintained that only the Persad family had lodged complaints and noted that he had moved the farm 85 feet back from the roadway and erected all possible safeguards.
Contacted for comment, EMA chairman Doolar Ramlal said he will initiate an investigation into the complaints.
