South flood victims still suffering

THE suffering and despair by residents in South Trinidad as a result of major flooding in Penal, Siparia and Barrackpore continued yesterday when heavy overnight rain caused rivers and streams to overflow, inundating surrounding areas with brown, murky water. Primary watercourses in these and other flood-prone areas remained clogged some four weeks after a high-powered inter-ministerial team led by Prime Minister Patrick Manning visited the affected areas, with Manning himself promising “immediate relief” for affected residents. Yesterday, an irate Siparia Member of Parliament Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who had toured with the PM, said an unofficial turf battle between the Ministry of Works and Transport and Penal/Debe Regional Corporation on who was responsible for the rivers and primary watercourses was delaying dredging of major waterways.

“While the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation did some work on clearing roadside drains and other secondary waterways, the Ministry of Works and Transport has refused permission to the corporation to carry out remedial work on the major rivers,” Persad-Bissessar said. “This problem will continue until both parties come together and act in the country’s best interest,” she added. The former attorney general pointed out that the matter was raised in a letter she wrote to the Prime Minister on November 25, highlighting the stumbling blocks facing the corporation including limited resources in terms of human resource, equipment and finance. “Incidentally, the blame game engaged by the Minister of Works with respect to turf between his ministry and that of the Local Government authorities is irrelevant. This serves merely to distract from the real issue affecting the people of this country in the present flooding crisis,” the letter stated.

“After all, at the end of the day all drains, rivers, waterways flow to the sea and regardless of whether they fall within the jurisdiction of Ministry of Works or Ministry of Local Government, they fall within the responsibility of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago,” the letter continued. The Siparia MP again called on the Prime Minister to “move swiftly” to address the issue of limited resources faced by the corporation as well as the putting together of a concerted plan to deal with “flood relief planning and implementation.” “Where is Manning? Let him spend the night here and see the kind of suffering we are experiencing because of these floods. Mr Prime Minister, what about those promises you made to us last month?” an angry farmer who did not want to be named told Newsday in Barrackpore yesterday. Efforts to reach Works and Transport Minister Franklin Khan and chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation, Dr Allen Sammy, for comment proved futile.