Geotechnical studies of caves in St Thomas underway

Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins says a long-overdue geotechnical study on the caves in Allen View, St Thomas is underway and should be completed in another three months.

Cummins said once the final report is submitted to Government, she would ensure residents are kept in the loop and have the opportunity to ask questions and share their views.

Her comments came on Wednesday as the Cave Amendment Bill, 2022 was debated in the Senate.

The Minister was also speaking on the heels of the announcement by Member of Parliament for St Thomas Cynthia Forde that residents of Allen View who own land near Harrison’s Cave but are unable to build because of environmental reasons, will soon be relocated by Government.

Cummins recalled that a geotechnical study on Harrison’s Cave was commissioned and scheduled to begin several years ago but was delayed on several occasions.

“So we completed the work, we contracted the firm – it is a local firm, and that firm then has a subcontracted partner because as you would appreciate, the work, especially on the crown of the cave, is highly specialised and not every type of profession can deal with the kind of geotechnical work that needed to be done,” said Cummins.

“The subcontracting firm is a Canadian firm and once COVID struck, that company was unable to travel to Barbados to complete the work that was required to begin phase one . . . ,” she added, pointing to protocols in Canada that prevented travel over the past two years.

“All the way from 2020 into 2021 we did not have that work undertaken. That work is underway now and the expectation is that there will be work completed – all three phases will be completed – by the next three months, and we will be in a position once and for all, to give a definitive report of the fissures that were first detected several years ago at the crown of the cave,” added Cummins.

She said she has already met with Forde and briefed her on what the technicians were working through so that the MP can share expectations and timelines with residents.

“We did have, last year, a series of townhall meetings and we did walk door to door at all of the communities that were affected and we spoke to people directly,” said Cummins, dismissing suggestions there has been no communication.

“Once that report has been done, we have given a commitment at the government level that we will request not only the technical report, but we will request a layman’s report so that people are able to read what these things really mean . . . and also to facilitate town hall meetings with the residents of the area who are affected so they have the opportunity one-on-one to ask whatever questions they feel are important to them . . . . We give that commitment again,” promised Cummins.

She also noted that by September, she was also hoping to be in a position to provide an update on the opportunity for further investment in caves across the island.

Cummins noted that a steering committee has been put in place and the Board of Caves of Barbados Ltd has now been tasked to invite proposals for consultancy services “on how Barbados can leverage this vast network of caves and in the reverse, the gullies adjoining it . . . .”

“We are very proud of what work has already been done. We are excited about the potential that the work now shows us can be done elsewhere, and we are committed of course, to the communities that anchor these things,” said Senator Cummins, as she noted that the Caves Amendment Bill governed all caves on the island and not just the Harrison’s Cave. (MM)