Warner gets to work immediately to attack flooding

The government of Trinidad and Tobago will establish a $30 million fund to attack flooding at its source.

Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner announced the measure at Thursday's post-cabinet media briefing.

"That fund is to be used to de-silt the outfalls of some of our major rivers from Diego Martin to as far as Cipero, those rivers, which of course go straight into the ocean, and also the fund would be used to clear water courses as well as to clean the drains in the two major cities, San Fernando and Port of Spain. And this work will begin as early as tomorrow (Friday)," he said.

"So in a nutshell I am saying to you, we have seen the damage, we studied ways and means to contain the flooding, we have also set up a plan that will help stop this problem as soon as possible," he said.

Warner added, "So things are in train and all I ask is that you have patience if you can because we shall eventually overcome the flooding."

He urged citizens to get involved and notify the ministry if they see any shoddy work on any project undertaken by the ministry. And he is also looking forward to help from local government bodies and individual local representatives.

"With the recent installation of the Regional Corporations, being onboard, and local councillors, they too have been instructed to play a part in examining the way the systems and the works which are being done.

"But all of us, I want to say, has to play a collective effort, all of us has to play a part in solving this flooding problem," he said. He said an aerial tour has shown that the water has nowhere to go.

"The mouths of the rivers are filled with silt," he said, noting that at "one place we saw where you can walk in the middle of the river because of the silt that had been collected there."