THE?EARTH?IS RAPIDLY SLIPPING AWAY at the scenic Tree Line Park in Foster Hall, St Joseph, but the owners say it is no natural disaster.
They are blaming the old, rusty, underground Barbados Water Authority (BWA) mains, which have been constantly spewing water and flooding the vast property.
What started out as a small hole in the ground has now developed into huge cracks running across the well manicured land.
Ondene Kirton, one of the owners of the property, is fearful that the situation can become worse since there are visible signs that portions of the land are sinking.
Tree Line Park is a venue for weddings and other social functions but it is also a place where children camp during the holidays.
The beautiful, expansive property offers breathtaking views of the scenic East Coast and is a popular attraction for many who come to enjoy its natural surroundings.
But all of this is now threatened by the collapse of the land.
So concerned are the owners of the property that they have been forced to cancel all bookings for the holiday season.
An upset Kirton pointed out that even though engineers from the BWA and officers from the Soil Conservation Unit have visited Tree Line Park to assess the situation, she has been informed by the BWA that they will not be able to do anything until they verify that the damage was caused by the burst water mains.
“I am now being told that the area is part of the Scotland District which is prone to land slippage,” said Kirton, who also complained that she had a hard time convincing officers there that the land slippage was becoming a major problem.
In addition, she said she was advised by the Soil Conservation Unit to install gabions on the property to prevent the land from further slipping.
“They told me that it would cost about $50 000 to have the gabions installed,” she stated.
She also hired an engineer, who informed her that the situation was very serious and that her land was sliding downhill.
As she toured the property examining the damage, Kirton explained that over the 12 years they have owned the property they have been confronted with the underground mains constantly breaking.
“We have had to call in the Water Authority on several occasions to repair the mains.
I?remember we were having a wedding reception and several workers were here at the same time, repairing a burst main,” she told the WEEKEND NATION.
She said that after facing complaints for several years about the situation, the BWA finally started the process, three weeks ago, of installing new mains and placing them above ground.
Kirton recalled that back in September a burst main flooded the entire property. It was from that time that she started to see significant changes to the property, including unevenness in the land and a small hole which appeared to be getting bigger daily.
To her surprise, the land started to collapse and an access road for people living nearby also became impassable.
As she pointed to a wet area on the property, Kirton said that was how they usually detected when the underground main was broken. She lamented that sometimes it was days before a BWA crew turned up to carry out repairs.
“This is heart-wrenching because our sweat, time and money went into this property,” she commented. “When we bought it there was nothing but trees on the land. It was inaccessible but we transformed it into this place for persons to enjoy its natural beauty.
“We cannot have any functions held on the property, even though persons have been calling to make bookings, because we will be liable if anyone is injured, and we cannot rent out the property in this state.
“My Christmas wish is that this can be dealt with urgently so that we can arrest this problem before it becomes costlier. I?am being optimistic and praying that this won’t be the end of the park.”
When contacted, director of the Soil Conservation Unit, Glen Marshall, confirmed that officers had visited the property and would have advised the installation of gabions to prevent the slippage.
Asked if the problem was a result of burst water mains, Marshall stated that he did not want to get into that but confirmed that his office had contacted the BWA to report the problem.
I?was unable to reach officials at the BWA, who were said to be attending a meeting yesterday.