Who’s responsible? -Retaining wall crumbles on home

Friday 5 January 2018
Who’s responsible? -Retaining wall crumbles on home

A retaining wall in La Retraite, Anse Etoile has crumbled on a neighbouring house situated just below the wall and it is still unclear whether the incident is a result of the rain, or whether the construction was faulty. Residents in the area expressed their concern about safety of construction on such steep hills.
by S. Marivel
Parts of the neighbouring home below the retaining wall was destroyed, crushed completely under the weight of the rocks and boulders from the construction.
The house has since been covered in plastic sheets, while construction workers have been seen deployed on the scene to start removing all the debris and gravel from the area so that the wall can be rebuilt.
Certain residents of the area have expressed their concern to this newspaper about the safety of certain constructions in the area, and of the safety of homes located in close proximity with these large walls and homes being built. The terrain is steep, and many of these houses are located on the mountainside.
Director General of the Department of Disaster and Risk Management of Seychelles Paul Labaleine warns that “…people need to be aware, not just when raining, but at all times that all precautions should be taken when building on these terrains.”
He explains that usually for construction and developments, nothing should be built without a permit. If a permit has been given, agencies doing the construction will usually advise the owner of certain best practices and what is safest for the owner and the neighbourhood.
“When you are building in the mountains, cutting earth, cutting boulders, or setting up a retaining wall, if this not done right or controlled, it could end up on someone else’s property and that also has consequences; someone can get hurt or seek legal action, and it causes harm in the community,” Mr. Labaleine tells TODAY.
“One should always stick to the conditions, rules, and regulations, and if you are not sure, you should check with the agency that gave you permission to build,” he adds.
He notes, however, that “…sometimes, we find that some work is done without consent and that’s when they get into trouble; there can be mismanagement during construction. But we at the DRDM
ask the public to please do things right and be aware that neighbours are always nearby and could suffer as a consequence of mismanagement.”

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