Dear Claudienne

In a letter dated October 4, 2009, the mayor of Kingston and St Andrew was informed of illegal sand mining and scrap metal harvesting taking place in the Hope River in the vicinity of the Kintyre Bridge which broke away repeatedly in the last two hurricane seasons. The sand mining and scrap metal collecting activities are causing an already deplorable situation to worsen as they attract questionable characters into a community that is already socially challenged. Fights, gambling, quarrels and ganja smoking are the order of the day and visitors to the community are often intimidated.

A truck that is used to transport the illegally mined sand is parked continually at the bottom of the road at Kintyre Close. Apart from the threat to safety it presents for the unaware, its weight is undermining an already vulnerable land surface. The road split in two during the last hurricane and all that remains is dirt that has been compacted to allow the cars to travel across. There is also an empty trailer that has been placed on the road for more than two years and wrongdoers use it as a hiding place.

The mayor has been requested to have the truck and trailer removed and to put a stop to the illegal sand mining and harvesting of scrap metal.

Please see what you can find out for me.

CC

Dear CC

Tell Claudienne faxed your letter to the mayor and he promised to have the matter investigated. The report said that the Director of Planning gave a directive for an investigation to be done and in December 2009 the city engineer and the city inspector did a joint investigation. At that time no confirmation was obtained on the alleged illegal sand mining and scrap metal operation, but a notice was served for the container to be removed from the roadway.

On January 26, 2010, another investigation was conducted at approximately 9:30 am and at that time the investigators observed no activity taking place in the river basin. However, they said that on entering the area from the Elletson Flat community a large tractor trailer was seen “exiting the community laden with sand.”

“Based on the time that the truck was spotted and the fact that no tractor was observed in the river basin, it is quite possible that the trcuk may have been loaded overnight by manual labour,” the report said.

The investigtors also said that a group of men were seen loitering in the vicinity of the bridge and that some of them had shovels.

The report also noted that “it is evident that the river basin has been disturbed based on the grade observed. The section of the basin in the vicinity of the Kintyre bridge appears much smoother and has been partially cleared of the heavy boulders that are strewn across the entire basis. At the entry point to the Kintyre Bridge, a left turn has been created to allow for vehicular entry/exit to and from the river basin. It is evident that this was graded to create the access/exit point.”

The report concluded that it was highly likely that “the illegal sand mining operation is real.” Such activity could further expose the communiities around the Hope River to greater risk of flooding and landslide. Also physical infastructure such as the Kintyre Bridge and gabion baskets in the immediate vicinity could be exposed to significant pressure,” the report said.

It was recommended that the matter be referred to the National Environment and Planning Agency and the Mines and Geology Division for further monitoring and action to take place.

It was also suggested that the police be informed of the alleged sand mining and that a sign be placed condemning the activity.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 511-2436 or write to: Tell Claudienne, c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com