Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan says he will meet with seismic experts and structural engineers objecting to the construction of $1.5 billion Children’s Hospital at Preysal. His comment comes as more seismic experts expressed concern over the proposed site in the wake of Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal’s declaration that the hospital would be constructed at its present location.
The experts, in an T&T Guardian article last week, expressed their objections to the construction of the hospital at its present site. They said the hospital was being constructed near the earthquake-prone Central Range fault line, which is said to be building sufficient strain energy to deliver an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 if it ruptures.
Another noted geologist, Dr Krishna Persad, yesterday also called on the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott) to re-examine the design for the hospital, given the fact that it was on a major fault line. Yesterday, Khan, in a brief telephone interview with the T&T Guardian, said he had asked the experts to come in and discuss their concerns.
However, he said: “Dr Moonilal and Udecott have assured me of what is going on and they are quite happy with what it is.” Khan said he was setting up a meeting with the experts through his permanent secretary to discuss their concerns about the location of the hospital, which is being constructed just off the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway, Preysal, Couva. “I am just asking the seismic people to kind of show me what exactly they find so that I could look at it myself,” Khan said.
On Sunday, Moonilal, line minister for Udecott, which is overseeing Chinese contractors Shanghai Construction work on the project, said all necessary precautions would be taken to ensure the building would be constructed to standard international codes. He said Udecott had assured that the contractors will be planning and building to ensure that the hospital could withstand any impact from a large-scale earthquake.
Khan: There’ll be further talks with Moonilal
Last week, seismologist Dr Joan Latchman, of the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Seismic Research Centre, said the present location of the hospital was in “close proximity” to the active Central Range/Warm Springs (CR/WS) fault system. She suggested the construction of the hospital be halted and a new location away from the fault line be found for the project.
Asked yesterday if he agreed with Moonilal’s position that the hospital would continue at the present site, she said: “Dr Moonilal is the person in charge of Udecott and Udecott is our project managers and if Dr Moonilal has said that...remember they are acting on behalf of the Ministry of Health.” However, the Health Minister said: “If I see anything in the seismic study that needs further discussions with Dr Moonilal I will do that. I would engage in further discussions if need be.”
Khan declined to comment on what steps he would take if the seismic experts provided sufficient evidence that the hospital should not be built at its present location. “Don’t come there. I won’t answer it,” Khan said.