$5M to ease city’s flooding

AN END to the flooding problems in Woodbrook and Port-of-Spain is being promised, as Mayor Murchison Brown announced at Thursday’s statutory meeting of the Council that $5 million has been allocated by Government to clean up underground drains and anything to do with flooding in the nation’s capital. The mayor’s announcement came on the heels of protest action initiated by angry Woodbrook residents. A number of them who suffered heavy losses in the flooding caused by recent heavy rains arrived at the council’s chamber in time for the monthly statutory meeting.

They got a chance to talk to the mayor and other members of council. At first, it seemed that the complaints by the disgruntled residents had fallen on deaf ears, but there were smiling faces when the mayor made his announcement at the end of the meeting. The mayor said work will start almost immediately, in conjunction with the Ministry of Works, which will be looking after the main water courses such as the Maraval and St Ann’s Rivers.

The joint exercise is expected to be completed by the end of September. Updated water pumps are to be acquired to facilitate the work which will be spread to underground drains on the main streets in the city. Brown, who has high hopes that the “crash programme” will ease the flooding problems, noted that the southern end of Port-of-Spain is under sea level, and when it rains, the high tides may pose some problems. Brown noted that he hopes that something will be done to discourage developers who are destroying the mountainous areas, thereby making it easier for water to drain off in Port-of-Spain.