There is a call from some residents of St James for a rapid response to aid people who encounter difficulties while swimming in coastal waters.
Civil servant Ian Inniss would like to see all hotels have a jet ski operator in place who would be allowed to rescue bathers.
Residents reported two deaths this year from drowning off the West Coast.
The concerns were raised last Wednesday at a town hall meeting organised by the Coastal Zone Management Unit with residents of St James to discuss concerns and make recommendations on management of the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
“There is a need for a jet ski with rapid response to rescue people from drowning,” Inniss told the meeting, which was held at Queen’s College.
Fisherman and entrepreneur Sam Inniss renewed a call for a national plan to be designed on beaches, saying: “There is no national policy on preserving and protecting the beaches.”
A major concern for several residents was limited access to beaches, which is blamed on hotel and other property development. Residents said they wanted both access from the road to the beaches as well as lateral access along the beaches.
Susan Mahon said there was a need for signage to identify unsafe areas for visitors.
Some suggested that bathers were unfamiliar with rip tides in the vicinity of places such as off Folkstone Park, and a call was made for more lifeguards and equipment.
Dr Yolanda Alleyne, who is managing the series of parish town hall meetings to hear from the public on the Barbados Marine Spatial Plan, noted that the Exclusive Economic Zone is 430 times the size of the island.
Inniss and Mahon queried whether the Coast Guard had the resources to monitor the Exclusive Economic Zone with the latter suggesting that research was required.
Protection of the country’s waters from pollution by seagoing vessels was another concern of residents,
as was preventing recently-born turtles from being killed.
Monica Cumberbatch spoke about the need for public education, such as teaching children how to swim. Public education on pollution and disposal of waste was also raised as one resident stated there was a need for garbage cans at Batts Rock, St Michael, where garbage was piling up.
Mahon suggested that legislation related to the marine environment was outdated and should be updated.
Director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit, Dr Leo Brewster, said the Queen’s College meeting was the fifth and others would be held before the findings were brought back to the public for further discussion. The main goal of the town hall meetings was to hear public views and recommendations, he said.
The Coastal Zone Management Unit has a target of completing the Barbados Marine Spatial Plan in September, the director reported. (HH)
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