The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) is putting things in place to facilitate maximum data collection as it relates to a land slippage problem in the Antrim area.
National Disaster Co-ordinator Nathaniel Isaac told a press conference this morning that the ODM is concerned of the situation and it is taking the matter seriously.
“On 23 August this year we were informed of a situation in the Antrim area and the Office of Disaster Management, we visited the area and did an assessment ourselves and then we informed CDEMA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) because we noticed that this is something that we needed engineers etc…,” he said.
“We did all this because from a disaster management point of view, we always try and look at the worst case scenario and how things would affect persons. From that time we have been having constant contact with CDEMA and also CDEMA contacted the University of the West Indies geological department and we have received assistance from them,” Isaac said.
Isaac said that on September 8, a foreign specialist in lands visited the site and gave a preliminary report on the situation. The specialist indicated that he would bring down a team to look at the area.
The ODM is also getting assistance from the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology.
He assured that the skills of local experts were also being utilized in these processes.
“While we do all this, we bring in our local experts to work along with those persons. We have engaged local geologists engineers etc. and presently we have the Department of Lands and Surveys doing regular surveys in the area to determine how quick the land is moving and what is the magnitude of the slippage of the land,” he stated.
The disaster coordinator said that the fire and ambulance services have also been alerted to the situation and have joined forces.
He said that the special service unit will also “look at the area, talk to residents … in case we have any further land movement in terms of landslides and they would a have a fair idea of the number of persons that would be affected by this movement.,” Isaac said, noting that apart from notifying cabinet ministers, the ODM has also conducted several visits to the area.
He alluded to the participation of two specific villagers who give daily reports from their observations of the area to the ODM. A geologist is also recording GPS measurements of the area, Isaac said.
The coordinator said that all this will aid in gathering data that will be useful to overseas specialists who will later visit the island.
“They will have data to work with and they will be able to have an idea of what has been happening over the past months,” he said.
The ODM will meet with the school principals of the area tomorrow.
Engineer in the Public Works Division Emile Lancelot told the conference that French authorities have also come onboard in these efforts.
@Geotechnical Engineer: You are so right. In Dominica, the authorities, Planning Division, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of the Environment, ECU, The OFFICE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT, the CONTRACTORS and the other appropriate stakeholders, need to collaborate more together on National Projects. Was any comprehensive ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) DONE, submitted and all the stakeholders studied the document before the CANEFIELD TO POND CASSE ROAD PROJECT WAS IMPLEMENTED?
For all you know, although the recent rains could be a factor, the road construction works could also have contributed to the impending disaster at ANTRIM. GOVT. and other Dominicans always knew that in that area, LAND SLIPPAGE has been a problem, given the nature of the soil in Antrim. Was any soil tests and the necessary geological and hydrological surveys conducted prior to the Road Project, knowing that continuous soil excavation would be done and heavy equipment would be working there?
What kind of data was collected or available to guide the process and to mitigate disaster? At the end of it all, when those surveys are not done or precautions are not taken or EIA’s done willy Nilly, the cost becomes phenomenal. It is the tax payers who have to foot the extra costs. But who cares? PLANNING, MONITORING, REPORTING AND EVALUATION of PROJECTS are left much to be desired in Dominica. FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL.
Phewwwww. at last, someone is giving this PROBLEM the attention it deserves… Was it that tarrish and other material was dumped there by the contractors fixing the road? We don’t want another Miracle Lake on our hands. (At least that one was natural, not man-made).
There’s no time to waste on this. I remind the residents to be vigilant and call the ODM whenever you feel or see movement. I just hope the road doesn’t keep sinking. We need this road (Canefield – Pont Casse) to open soon!!!
@concerned citizen: Antrim is located in the Canefield/Roger area on the imperial road in the area of the Roseau Water supply, just before Springfield Guest House.
@concerned citizen: well check a map nuh
@concerned citizen: Antrim is on the way to Springfield, along the Imperial Road.
Sound like you guys are being proactive and making the best of the resources available. Keep it up. Landslides in my opinion is the biggest threat to loss of life in DA.
Keep on improving.
Meeting with two schools in the area? Are these two schools Massacre/Canefield and Pioneer?
These are the only two schools I know of in that area.
I livein that area.. somebody better tell me what is going on. Antrim is upper Roger right? Only two schools in this Canefield area… if we talking Antrim to the coast.. help me not to speculate Lord… somebody just come out and talk to us now now now!
CDERA.. this is some serious stuff.
Along the Canefield / Pond Case Road. In “fixing” the road, they have made quiet a mess. Right now there solution is to keep pouring more tarish onto it.
I understand that this is priority, but ODM needs to start thinking of collecting data from other locations. Data such as location of landslides, rainfall intensity during the slides, steepness of slope, type of soil, size of the slides etc. A number of things can initiate a landslide, but among them heavy rainfall is one the most prevalent cause. Have to inform residence in the affected area that they will have to consider relocating until the location is stabilized. Stabilizing land can be extremely expensive, and may involve very sophisticated techniques, which in turn needs sophisticated heavy equipments.
Good luck with this endeavor.
where in Dominica is Antrim located