Damaging St. Martin's coral!
Your back page photograph published on December 21st showed a number of makeshift thatched bamboo matted tin-roofed shops. However, the description of the photograph opined that these makeshift shops are 'damaging the coral'! The latter part of the description, that it is 'ruining the beauty of the tourist attraction' is well justified. The reason for the damage to the underlying coral structure covered under the beach sand, is, however, not clear. I will request the concerned 'Star' personnel to kindly explain this phenomenon.
I can not understand how the light bamboo matted tin roofed hut, with very little superstructure load, built on the coastal sand bed of the sea shore, can damage the underlying coral?
It provokes my curiosity; based on my basic idea of foundation loading and sub-soil, during my engineering studies, many years back; during which days perhaps the inter action between light loads and coral based soil may not have been so well defined! I wonder if the light bamboo structure built on the beach sand, with shallow bamboo poles acting as frames for these makeshift huts, will really destroy the underlying coral structure on which the island is built!
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