What would it take for such a desperate cry to be heard?

Published in this very newspaper some months ago, was an article on the sand-mining issue at Windward Point Beach. To me, it doesn’t seem like anyone in authority cares about the beach.

Candidates running for election seem to be the number one topic all around. Other topics are drug use, gang violence, care and treatment of patients at the hospital, projects on the island, Filipinos and Indians living and working in Anguilla, and the list can go on and on. These issues have taken centre stage and are talked about on radio stations on a weekly basis and at every little gathering wherever two or more people congregate.

Had it been one of the beaches where our national sport is held, or one where tourists are found sun bathing or taking sea baths, it would be treated differently but this beach on the eastern coast of this little rock, Anguilla, has more people destroying it than it has caring for it.

Windward Point Beach is constantly being stripped of its natural clothing and every time that nature replaces the sand man finds it necessary to remove it. What will it take for those in authority to do as they do with drug related matters, gang violence or any of the weekly crimes reported in this paper? It is A SHAME how those in authority sit back and let this beach be destroyed. Shoal Bay Beach, Cap Juluca’s Beach, CuisinArt’s Beach, Meads Bay, Sandy Ground and the other popular beaches are no better than Windward Point Beach. It is a crime to take sand from Windward Point just like it is a crime to be a drug trafficker, have an unlicensed gun or worse yet, to kill someone.

Sand dunes have been completely removed from the beach. The sea has taken a bit of land, and a pond that was there, has been completely covered by the sea. Slowly, but surely, the Windward Point Beach is being destroyed by persons who don’t seem to have any interest whatsoever about what happens to it.

I hope it doesn’t happen, as persons might pay with their lives, but one day nature might show us the danger of removing the sand dunes and taking the sand from the beach. The removal of sand can’t be done at beaches which are in close proximity to where Ministers of Government live as follows:

Shoal Bay (Hon. Evans Rogers),
Island Harbour Beach (Hon. Kenneth Harrigan),
Seafeathers (CM Fleming), Crocus Bay ( Hon. Victor Banks)
West End (Hon. Albelto Hughes)
Blowing Point (Hubert Hughes) or
Sandy Ground (Edison Baird).

Gifford Connor is one of those persons in charge of our beaches. What is being done to solve this problem? How much longer will you sit back and let this beach be destroyed?

I ask all those in charge to take a barefooted walk on this beach and see what sort of experience you will have. It is high time that something be done to the sand-mining at Windward Point. This should also be one of the issues at the weekly press conferences held by the Chief Minister and also by Member of Opposition.

Sitting back idly and letting this beach be destroyed, instead of monitoring it, will one day be a bigger cry than who’s running for election with or without proper education. Maybe one of them can solve such a problem and many more if elected than those who are in power.

Let’s not forget, no sin is bigger than the other, so sand mining is as big a crime as committing murder.

Waiting patiently for this matter to be solved.

Anguillian born Beach lover

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