A cross-section of Dominicans continue to react and voice their opposition to the construction of a proposed international airport in the country. Many hinge their contention on environmental concerns, and some say the process is not transparent, while some others contend the country does not really need the airport at the moment in the face of other more pressing needs.
Miss Dominica 2020/2021, Savahnn James, contends that the government has not fully conducted relevant studies into the environmental impacts of citing the airport in Wesley, saying the infrastructure will harm the ways of life and natural resources of the constituency. She adds that the airport might contribute to greenhouse gases and global warming; she argued that the government should focus more on developing other untouched natural resources of the island.
A former commercial pilot and engineer, Irvin Baptiste, said the government did not fully consult with the populace nor regard the considered views of the people before citing and going ahead with the construction of the airport. He said the authorities failed to consider the environmental and economic effects of the airport on the people of Wesley and urged the government to create appropriate bylaws to regulate the operation of the airport with the inputs of the local community.
The interim PRO of the National Joint Action Movement (NJAM), Bernard Alleyne, opined that the DLP administration should have developed the country’s fairy terminals instead of constructing an international airport that would not serve any measurable purposes in the country. While clarifying that his views do not reflect the considered position of NJAM as an organization, he noted that the government should include the views and concerns of the people in all public services.
Former chief physical planner and estate valuer, Isaac Baptiste, recalled that the UWP administration of former PM Edison James conceived the construction of an international airport in the country and set up an Airport Development Committee under the control of the National Development Corporation to run studies on the citing of the airport and how its operations would impact on the lives of the local host community.
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