Dear Editor,
The minority arm of the coalition made the valid point that the Tobago oil spill should serve as a wake-up call for us. I agree.
The spill is too close for comfort and cannot be shrugged off nonchalantly, especially, according to reports the vessel was heading to Guyana with the oil cargo.
Days following the spill and the twin island is still trying to deal with cleaning up and containing efforts. Reports have surfaced that the oil slick is heading towards Grenada and Venezuela. Already Tobago’s tourism and fishing sectors are negatively impacted from the disaster.
There are lessons from this disaster, which should serve as a rehearsal of our preparedness. In the immediate aftermath of the spill discovery Tobago authorities lamented the island was never prepared for such a catastrophic event. We must not be in such a position.
Yours faithfully,
Shamshun Mohamed
