Bracing for floods?

SOON the rainy season will be upon us and the country, particularly residents of central Trinidad, will be expecting that enough drainage work has been done over the last five months to avoid the flooding disaster we experienced last year. They would not, however, be particularly comforted by the observations of Works Minister Franklyn Khan who disclosed on Tuesday that his Ministry has had difficulties in getting funds for major drainage work and that they were "a month or two behind" on a number of key projects. We find it difficult to understand why money should be a problem in the attempt to save a large section of our population from the severe inconvenience, dislocation, destruction and loss which gushing flood waters inflict on commuters, residents, business people and farmers in low-lying areas of the country.

Indeed, after last November's horrors, we would have expected that funds for an adequate drainage programme would be readily forthcoming. It was estimated that more than $100 million in losses were sustained when the flood demon went beyond its ritual territory in Central and also ravaged extensive areas along the East-West Corridor and in South Trinidad, inundating several business places and damaging vehicles parked in compounds and on the road. Instead of abating, the perennial scourge rampaged into new areas and one expected that every effort would be made to prevent a recurrence when the rains come in 2003.

It is disappointing then to hear from Minister Khan that money for drainage has been something of a problem this year. One is left to wonder about the Government's priorities when its enthusiasm for CEPEP, a grandiose make-work scheme, could produce a commitment of more than $400 million while urgently needed anti-flooding projects are experiencing funding difficulties. But the weather is notoriously capricious and Minister Khan may be lucky in his quiet optimism that, if the rainfall is normal this year and having regard to the work that has already been done, "we will not see the catastrophe we had in November 2002." 

Work, he said, is due to begin in the next two weeks on the largest of the flood alleviation projects, that is enlarging the Caroni River's drainage capacity by excavation of its edges and construction of an embankment on its south side, a job that is expected to cost $14 million. The second major project will be done in the El Carmen area while tenders are being invited for projects to start soon on the Guayamere River. In case of the Caparo River, which impacts heavily on the flooding situation in the Chaguanas area, work has already been completed on diverting some of its outflow into the Honda River.

According to Mr Khan, his Ministry has also been engaged in cleaning, desilting and grading several water courses, as well as constructing embankments at St Helana, Kelly Village, El Carmen, Bamboo #1, Marabella, Cipero, Diego Martin, Arima, Biche, Mayaro, St Joseph, Arouca, Beetham and Toco. Although important, desilting is not the "ultimate solution" to the flooding problem, he says. The answer lies in the construction of the Mamoral Dam for which designs have been completed and the cost estimated at $110 million. Eventually, of course, we will have to wait and see. The country will hardly be happy with the fact that so many important anti-flooding projects are due to start at the end of the dry season and that the need to control this watery scourge was apparently not given the priority it deserves. Very few, we think, would want to share the Minister's quiet optimism.