Drainage expert confident of less flooding

FLOODING in southern rural areas will be reduced by at least 50 percent during the wet season which has already officially started.

So claims Superintendent in the Ministry of Works, Drainage division (South), Rampersad Baboolal, who spoke to Newsday during a site visit to the Sudama Teerath New Cut channel, Pluck Road, Woodland, yesterday.  He was accompanied by other members of the Drainage Division, including chief engineer Parasram Ramlogan and Works Superintendent, Mitra Pariagsingh. Also on the tour were UNC Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal and Chairman of the Penal/ Debe Regional Corporation, Carl Dabideen. Baboolal said the ministry had carried out extensive work on rivers and watercourses in flood-prone areas during early January and expected flooding to be “greatly reduced.” “I’m positive that things are in place so at least to alleviate at least 50 to 60 percent of the flooding,” Baboolal said.               
                                                                 
To emphasise his point, he cited work done on a number of watercourses including the Trinidad, St Louie, Goocharwan and Babmanyan rivers. However, Baboolal conceded that a number of secondary streams and rivers had become clogged with overgrown vegetation, and required remedial work before the start of the wet season. He said heavy hydraulic excavators would be sent in to clear the drains of vegetation and other refuse. He, however, declined to give a start-up date, preferring to say only that “we will start early.”
“Flooding would take place but at a reduced level,” Baboolal added.
Earlier, Oropouche MP, Dr Roodal Moonilal, said he had been “traumatised” when he visited the area last year and observed the “tremendous amount of flooding” which had taken place. Dr Moonilal said letters would be sent to the National Social Development Agency in an effort to bring relief to residents of the rural community who were affected by flooding last year.