KHAN BLAMES WOODBROOK FLOODING ON INVADERS BAY

Works Minister Franklyn Khan said yesterday that his Ministry  “suspected” that the reclamation of lands at Invaders Bay had contributed to the flooding problem at Woodbrook this weekend. He stressed however that the flooding at Woodbrook was primarily caused by the “intensity of rainfall” — 80 millimetres of rainfall in 60 minutes. Statistically this only occurred once every 50 years, he noted. But Khan also stated that it was likely that the erosion and long-term depositing of sediment from this reclamation which contributed to the clogging of the mouth of the Maraval River. In response to the question, he said it would be untrue to say Movie Towne caused the flooding. He added that the river might have to be dredged. He was speaking at a post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall.

Asked whether Government planned to assist Woodbrook residents, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said Government had in place a number of programmes to assist people affected by natural disasters. He said persons can access these programmes “in the normal course,” but “over and above that” he did not know that any additional intervention is required to help Woodbrook residents. Noting that in the past the water courses in this area were de-silted once a  year, Khan said that the Ministry now had to desilt the rivers after every single rainfall event because the sediment which came down was so much. Consequently, he said, the Ministry would have to take a serious look at the catchment area and the proliferation of housing and settlement patterns, slash and burn and other practices which would have even more serious consequences,  if they continue unchecked. The Works Minister stated that over the year the Government had been doing a lot of work but had focused on the Caroni flood plains.He noted that $50 million were allocated in this fiscal year for drainage works in the Northern Range and for the rehabilitation of rivers from Arima to Diego Martin.