A one day National Land Issues Workshop aimed at improving land policies and management is now under way in Dominica.
Director of Caribbean Network for Urban Land Management, Dr. Asad Mohammed, said at the opening of the workshop on Thursday that most of the issues which in the past, affected proper land management in Dominica, remain the same today.
“The last time I was involved in an exercise like what we are doing here was in 1992. We did a comprehensive review of social and legal and human resource capacity for the whole region and I can tell you that most of the issues that were present at that time still remain in place in Dominica,” he said.
Mohammed noted that although some things have changed including forward movement of the physical planning framework, implementation of new legislation and the introduction of local area policies, many things are still outdated such as the forestry laws. He added that new issues have also risen such as the concept of climate change.
He stated that comprehensive land policy integration and coordination among agencies is critical for a sustainable land policy and added that there must be harmonization of policies at a national and regional level for a sustainable land policy.
Meanwhile, Independent Architecture & Planning Professional, Isaac Baptiste, told the workshop that land degradation, urban encroachment, loss of biodiversity and coastal zone management are some of the main concerns surrounding land use in Dominica.
Dominica is now developing a National Land Use and Management Policy along with other countries of the OECS. This exercize is being funded by the United Nation Human’s Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) and the UWI, St Augustine Campus to the tune one million dollars.
At present, there are 17 pieces of major legislation relating to land management in Dominica.
Dr Eiseenhouer Douglas Permananet Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture indicated that his ministry will continue to support moves to implement a comprehensive land policy for Dominica.
Its about time! While this is a good long awaited move, let us not do things for expediency sake – like give ppl permission to build in rivers – check Castle Comfort River; allow persons to cut down our trees, to carve our mountains to build houses with no regard for the consequences – have u seen the mountains above Loubiere lately…why would a government authority give permission to scar the mountain for a sub-division that’s just an eye sore and a potential environmental hazard?
Where is the waste water and the sewage going to go, where is the run off from rain going to go, was that given any consideration. the mountain is already sliding from the duress, a slide has already come down, the road is made straight down the gully between the two mountains, is this safe?
Hello think of the people who live in lower Loubiere, with the Hurricane season upon us is it s good things to have this kind of activity up there on the mountain?
All I know as a Dominican and a human being, UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL. TOO MANY COOKS, SPOIL THE BROTH. These ministers are not there to help Dominica, they there to help themselves. We don’t have too much money, where are they getting money to pay for all those Ministers, who are not doing too much anyway, when one could be doing the job, and have more serious accountability.
One is pulling left, one is pulling right and the other pulling to the drain. Do you know that the USA is so strong because, one state cannot do everything, but for the development of the whole country they come together CONSTRUCTIVELY. Agreeing to disagree. With all these ministers holding different ministries, I don’t think they communicate with each other enough. I know what I am talking, because I worked in ministry building.
Good to see that some attention being paid to land use in Dominica. As the doctor pointed out after comprehensive review in 1992 some of the same issues still remain. Lets hope part of this review involves setting goals and putting measurments to track this goals so that we will not be back 20 yrs later doing the same darn thing. 20 years we should be celebrating milestones.
Planning is great and correct but worthless without execution and implementation
Just talk and no walk. Prevent people from selling plots of land to people, where there is no water, roads and utilities. They should have started that since after “THEY” burnt down our Registry. “Land management” should include #1. People owning more than one thousand acres, to donate the rest to those who don’t have a foot. We are our brothers keeper.
Why is it that Dominica together with St. Vincent are the only caribbean countries where the ministry of LAND is divorce from the Ministry of Agriculture and or the Ministry of Environment. We have Reginald Austrie – Minister for Housing, Lands, Settlements and Water Resources, then we have Matthew Walter – Minister for Agriculture and Forestry alongside Kenneth Darroux – Minister for Environment, Natural Resources, Physical Planning and Fisheries. Where is the harmonization of approach. How can land and water reosurces be divorced from forestry and or environmental issues. The last time we checked, Dominica was still an agrarian dependent country and as such policies for improving land management has to do essentially with environmental, forestry and agriculture management.
Its time people squatting and building houses on Government lands and not paying a dim. I keep wondering if persons no longer visit and stop these structures poping up – all over the place.
People building without permission all over the place.
More Regulation from Government LESS FREEDOM FOR THE PEOPLE!
What will that land policy entail? Please advise.