Although the Ministry of Public Works had proposed that an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) on the New Demerara Harbour Bridge project be done, it was surprisingly advised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it was not necessary and the ministry has acted on that advice.
In the meanwhile, the EPA remains mum on its decision and its own about-face on an EIA while environmentalists are warning that it has potential environmental consequences.
“I had applied to do one [ESIA]. The EPA has advised that as a replacement structure not an ESIA but an Environ-mental Management Plan or Environmental and Social Management Plan was needed,” Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill told the Sunday Stabroek in an interview last week.
