RIVIERE DOREE, Saint Lucia – Residents and business owners in the Riviere Doree community are demanding answers from the Ministry of Infrastructure after heavy machinery descended on their beach on Monday, July 28, for what was described as a sand mining and river desilting operation.
According to the River Doree Revival Group, beachgoers were stunned to see a three-axle dump truck, excavator, and tractor trailer removing sand from the small, remote beach. When community members questioned the legality of the operation, they say they were met with “snide and condescending remarks” from a man identifying himself as the contractor. Another individual, claiming to be an employee of the Ministry of Infrastructure, reportedly stated that the activity was government-approved as part of a river desilting initiative. However, when asked to produce a permit, none was provided.
The Riviere Doree community has a long history of sand mining, which locals say has left the beach with little remaining beachfront. They note that the area is only now beginning to recover from a massive mining operation carried out five years ago.
Residents say the July 28 operation — which ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and removed more than five truckloads of sand — caused significant disruption and damage. Several ecotourism operators were unable to conduct tours due to restricted access and heavy machinery in the water and on the sand. Community members could not bathe in the sea because of sediment stirred up by the mining, and both the road to the beach and the beach itself sustained damage from the equipment.
The River Doree Revival Group has called on the Ministry of Infrastructure to address several pressing questions:
Why was a permit granted for sand mining at a beach already devastated by past mining, when other nearby beaches and rivers could benefit from desilting?
How does the Ministry plan to repair the road and beach infrastructure damaged during the operation?
Why were local residents and businesses not informed in advance of an operation of this scale?
Where is the sand from the Riviere Doree beach being taken?
The group is also demanding access to the official permit to verify whether the individuals involved acted within its terms.
Local businesses and residents say they depend on the Riviere Doree beach for their livelihoods, and that any further damage threatens not only the environment but also the community’s economic stability.
The Ministry of Infrastructure has not yet issued an official statement in response to the concerns.
