Shore of Peace going to pieces

The Shore of Peace cremation site at Mosquito Creek, South Oropouche, is fast approaching the final stage in the cycle of life. Nestling on an elevated piece of coastline overlooking the Gulf of Paria, the cremation site is pounded by relentless waves which threaten to send the entire preserve crashing into the sea.  Much to the chagrin of members of the public, the call is being made to several corporate bodies to effect  urgent repairs to the site. The Shore of Peace along the South Trunk Road is not only among the “cleanest” of public places, but has gained a reputation as being among the most serene spots in South Trinidad. When Newsday visited the site last week, vehicular traffic was able to use only one side of the road. The rest of the road that provides for  the other lane, about 15 feet in width, had crumbled down the 50-feet drop into the sea.

A caretaker at the site mourned the slow demise of the site by the almost-daily crumbling of the roadway into the sea with every high tide that hits the shore. “People are always saying the atmosphere at the cremation site is the best in the country, but at the present rate of erosion, this site may have to be abandoned,” he said. Newsday learned that the Siparia Regional Corporation which manages the site, has already marked out an alternative access road to the site. The corporation’s CEO, Stephen Creese, said the new access road was expected to cost some $65,000. But no work could be effected, he added, until passage of the 2004/5 budget in Parliament. With regard to erosion of the coastline, Creese said the Ministry of Works and Transport, has estimated that reclamation could cost over $7 million.