Heavy rains put parts of South Trinidad under water

HEAVY overnight and early morning showers, which the Met Office described as “normal weather conditions” with the onset of the rainy season, led to flooding in several parts of rural South and Central Trinidad yesterday. A “Flood Warning Bulletin” was issued by the Met Office for the Caparo area after heavy showers left some areas under as much as ten feet of water. Up to late yesterday evening, however, no structural damage had been reported as a result of the flooding. Chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC), Dr Allen Sammy, has called on the Local Government Ministry to assist the Opposition-controlled Corporation in dealing with the perennial flooding problem, which yesterday left a number of areas, including parts of lower Barrackpore, under several inches of water.

Residents of Papourie Road in lower Barrackpore said the early morning rains had left large areas of the main access road leading to the rural community under water by 6 am. When Newsday visited the flooded area, residents claimed mud, which was removed from drains in the area, was not properly dealt with by the clean-up crew, causing the mud to flow back and clog drains when the torrential downpour started. “Just last week, they (the maintenance crew) cleaned the drains, but now the rains have come, the mud they left behind flows back into the drains,” said an irate resident, who asked not to be identified. However, the resident conceded the flooding could have been “even worse” had the drains not been cleared.