By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING the devastation left behind by three major hurricanes in three years, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the government will need to strengthen town-planning regulations and this may include enforcing “no-build” zones.

While the country has learned “the hard way” that communities and infrastructure cannot be built in the same manner as years ago, Dr Minnis said the Bahamas is committed to fully implementing technologies to improve the quality of planning for coastal zones.

He was speaking during the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Caribbean Coastal Resilience forum at The Island House.

“The impact of the latest three hurricanes on our islands demonstrates this need for coastal planning,” Dr Minnis said while addressing a small group gathered at the forum and referring to Hurricanes Joaquin, Matthew and Irma. “We will need to strengthen our regulations around town planning and zoning. This may include identifying and enforcing no-build zones within the islands in the Bahamas.

“We are going to have to deal with the issues around land tenure and land administration as we think about better zoning and the provision of new housing projects built for disaster resilience.

“We know that significant work has already been completed on this issue through the IDB’s Land Use Planning and Administration Project (LUPAP). We must now revive that work for implementation.

“Further, we must encourage and foster innovation in our architecture and engineering so that we can design and build infrastructure that is more resilient and sustainable.”

Last week CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said events like Irma prove humans are living through a period of climate change. He was a part of a contingent which visited Ragged Island to observe the damage left behind by the monster storm.

Earlier in his address the prime minister said: “Already, our Ministry of Works has started to consider the potential benefits of green infrastructure solutions, such as mangrove restoration efforts, to enhance the level of protection compared to that provided by traditional seawalls or revetments alone.

“Similarly, here on the island of New Providence, we are planning for a more sustainable future through Nassau’s participation in the IDB’s Emerging and Sustainable Cities Programme.

“An early deliverable of this project was a study on natural hazards and risks to the island, specifically inland flooding, coastal flooding, and salt water intrusion into the freshwater lens.

“Hurricane Matthew unfortunately confirmed the accuracy of the coastal flooding models, as those communities along our southern shore found themselves inundated by storm surge.

“We have learned the hard way that we cannot continue to build our communities and infrastructure in the same manner. These are the first of many such island master plans within the Bahamas.,” Dr Minnis said.