Work underway to rehabilitate eroded Grand Anse Praslin road |30 August 2019

Work is well underway to rehabilitate part of the main road on the coast at Grand Anse Praslin which collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.

Yesterday afternoon a team comprising representatives from the Seychelles Land Transport Agency (SLTA), Department of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM) and Department of Environment visited the site to assess the impact of the damage to better decide what better mitigation measures to put in place in the area.

Vice President Vincent Meriton also visited the site to see firsthand the damage caused by the impact of erosion by waves.

Paul Labaleine, principal secretary for risk and disaster management, said it was after 5pm on Wednesday that the DRDM was informed that part of the road had caved in.

Mr Labaleine noted that all coastal roads face the risk of erosion from big waves which are more aggressive due to the impact of climate change.

“The important thing now is to rebuild the road in such a way and put in place structures that would minimise the impact of erosion caused by waves,” said Mr Labaleine.

SLTA chief executive Parinda Herath said the Department of Environment already has a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate all coastal roads in the country as they are several decades old and their foundation have eroded away and the road along the coast at Grand Anse had been identified as a priority.

He said the work underway is expected to be completed in two to three weeks.

Meanwhile, only one side of the road is open to vehicular traffic so motorists and pedestrians are being advised to exercise caution when travelling along this stretch of road.