Puerto Rico is preparing measures to halt the erosion that is seriously diminishing at least 32 of its beaches, a blight that concerns local authorities since it can turn away tourism, one of the Caribbean island's chief sources of revenue.
Lawmaker Angel Rodriguez Otero of the ruling Popular Democratic Party, or PPD, told Efe Friday that in order to fight this problem, he presented a resolution before the Puerto Rican Senate moving the upper house to take an active role in controlling this phenomenon.
Rodriguez Otero said the erosion of coastline is particularly worrying in the northwestern area of Rincon, a premiere vacation spot, particularly for tourists from the U.S.
Concern about erosion motivated a delegation from the Senate Commission on Tourism, Culture, Recreation and Sports to visit the coastal area of Rincon last February, after Rodriguez Otero presented Resolution 994 for taking action against the problem.
Another delegation from the upper house visited the southwestern part of the island this Friday to determine in person how much the coastline there has eroded.
Rodriguez Otero said that in a period of one month the commission is expected to present the Senate with its recommendations for dealing with a phenomenon that has been multiplying in recent years.
"The root of the problem lies in global warming, in all the construction going on so close to the beaches, and in the disproportionate removal of sand," the legislator said.
He said the first step is to identify the economic resources available at the local level, which can later be recovered with federal funds from the United States.
"The solutions require millions of dollars," Rodriguez Otero said, adding that besides Rincon, other areas affected by erosion include La Pared Beach in Luquillo municipality and Ocean Park Beach, one the of the most popular of the Puerto Rican capital.
He recalled that several years ago measures were launched that turned out to be very effective for combating erosion of Isla Verde Beach, also in the Puerto Rican capital, though he admitted that the lack of continuity lost all the improvements that had been gained.
Ruperto Chaparroi, director of the Sea Grant program at the University of Puerto Rico dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources on the Caribbean island, said during a visit to the Senate that one possible technique is to keep a record of all underwater sandbanks near the beaches so they can be used for repairing the affected areas.
The specialist said that this is an expensive technique, however, because the approximate cost for restoring a mile (1.6 kilometers) of beach is $1 million.
He noted that this technique has been employed by the United States in Florida and Texas, as well as by countries like Australia and Holland. EFE
Puerto Rico takes steps against erosion to save 32 of its beaches
No comments:
Post a Comment