Premier Wayne Panton said he has seen firsthand just how drastic the beach erosion problem has become along Seven Mile Beach, and will be developing a plan in the coming days to address the issue.
On Thursday, Panton, who is also the Minister for Sustainability and Climate Resiliency, visited the stretch of beach by the Marriott Beach Resort to “see firsthand the beach erosion taking place”. He was accompanied by Department of Environment Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie, other government ministers and officials.
“We are looking at the erosion issue and our action plan through a lens of sustainability,” Panton wrote in a Facebook post. “A meeting is planned for Monday to address the issue and we will develop an action plan that will include short, medium and long-term proposals to address the myriad issues surrounding this ongoing environmental problem.”
Panton’s comments come days after the release of a video which was recorded by Robert Baraud as he travelled along the coast on a jet ski. In the clip, Baraud can be heard expressing his shock at the depth of the water in places which were once covered by yards of white sandy beaches.
“I’m about 50, to 75 feet away, and this would be beach, [now] it’s nothing,” said Baraud as he rode along the coastline by Royal Palms.
Baraud’s video sparked an uproar in the community, and has since been shared more than 400 times and attracted over 250 comments.
“Sadly little we can do about it,” read one comment. “If you build sea walls or any concrete structures you get coastal erosion. This is why the DoE advises against this type of construction. They just cause sand erosion further down the beach. The sea that normally acts by adding sand to the coastline turns into an erosive force and ends up eroding the sandy shore… Nothing will change unless we change our mindset.”
Another commenter wrote, “This is mostly due to sea level rise. Same thing happening across the world in low lying countries. Even the resorts set further back from the ocean will lose their beaches in the coming decades”
Over the course of the past two years, the Cayman Compass has highlighted the issue of beach erosion.
In January 2020, a $1.25 million government-led project was proposed to counter erosion at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach. Then, in November, several tropical storms and hurricanes accelerated the erosion. In December, the Marriott called for a solution to the beach erosion amidst talks of a potential border reopening.
Most recently, the Central Planning Authority turned down an application to construct a seawall along Boggy Sand Road.
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Government has got to stop reacting and understand the issues and get out in front of them. The erosion on severn mile beach as been an issue for years. It’s not due to rising sea levels but storms, natural movement of sand and development. This is no different than the issue of sargassum on the east, north and south coasts. When will government look at the issues the island is facing and develop action plans to address these. Borders are closed now however, when visitors return they will find no seven mile beach, sargassum litter and stink on the east, north and south coasts. and dead corral due to stony corral disease in the ocean. Stop talking and start doing!
About timy
I applaud Premier Panton for his sentiments.
But nothing can be done to correct this.
Every year a certain amount of sand washes over the drop-off and is lost forever.
It’s usually replaced by parrotfish chewing and excreting the coral. But most of our coral along 7 mile beach is dead or dying. Most of the parrotfish are gone
In addition Nor Westers usually bring sand up onto the beach. Very few recently.
Let’s hope he has better luck than King Canute
Actually there is something that you can do but it’s expensive. Check out what they do at Ocean City, Maryland. They dredge sand off the ocean bottom and spread it where the beach should be. It is time consuming and expensive but it does renew the beach and it has to be done at least once a year. But if the economy depends on having a beach, like Ocean City does, it seems to be worth it.