On Tuesday 31st May, a light shower of rain caused some flooding in Port of Spain.
Former Minister of Works, Colm Imbert was quick to point out that the current Minister of Works was in Zurich at the time, on FIFA business, Imbert implying that had Jack Warner been in Trinidad, the flooding might have been prevented.
Imbert had been in Trinidad for years, riding his solo elevator in his Sackville Street office, and watching the City inundated with floods after every little shower, and all he could do was claim that the flooding was caused by “Acts of God”. What he did not tell us back then was that the “God” was named Calder Hart! But I will return to that. Imbert consistently denied that the drains under the city were clogged.
When Jack was appointed Minister of Works, he announced that he was going to deal with the perennial flooding problem. Jack actually summoned me to his office—4.00am one morning—and said he wanted to put me in charge of that task! I told him that I could not accept, because I was not “qualified”, and that I could no longer work at his pace!
He responded by saying that what I wrote about flooding “made sense”, and that he would not “push me” too hard. However, I declined (anyway, Jack does not “push” the people working with him, he pulls them along in his wake!), saying I would advise from the background.
I tried to convince Jack that, for Port of Spain at least, the answer lay in de-silting the drains which pass under the streets. These drains were last cleaned in 1987, and there was no flooding for several years after that. His engineers, the “experts” told him otherwise.
I also told Jack that all our major rivers were visibly clogged in the lower reaches, and almost totally blocked at their outfalls. I told him dredging was required. Again his experts in “Drainage” denied these simple truths. So, I told Jack to take a helicopter at low tide, and travel along the West Coast from Diego Martin to San Fernando, and decide for himself.
The photographs from that helicopter trip were published in the media, showing the massive build-ups of silt blocking the flow of every river mouth! Dredging was the obvious answer. At last some action might begin. Well think again.
I was subsequently told by Mr. Warner that his Ministry “experts” had said that no dredging contractor in the Eastern Caribbean could pre-qualify for the job. This is arrant nonsense, and in my view is being put forward either to sabotage the Minister, or to corruptly award dredging contracts to the wrong people. I asked Jack to consult with local and Caribbean Engineering Associations to get their opinion on “no qualified” dredging contractors.
On Wednesday 25th May Jack invited me to his office at 6.00 pm, to view a presentation from a local contractor on the alleviation of flooding. The Mayor of Port of Spain was also there. The contractor showed us photographs taken inside several drains around and under the City. They were clogged with silt. However, he also showed us that several of the major outfall drains were totally clogged, but not with silt.
These drains, under PTSC, under Ajax Street, under the Waterfront, were blocked with buildings! This astonishing fact came about when Manning, Calder Hart and Imbert “re-developed” the City. When they dug foundations for all those magnificent buildings, and discovered the large underground drains which carried water out of the City and into the sea, they simply blocked all the drains with concrete and never re-routed a single one!
Deny this if you can, anyone! No wonder the city floods. No wonder Imbert had to resort to God as the cause. Major works, including excavation and installing new drains are required now.
On Saturday 4th June, at around 2.00 pm, at low tide, a sharp shower of rain fell for about half an hour. This is going to happen dozens of times in the months ahead folks, this was no “rain event”, this was a standard shower. However, the Maraval River overflowed and flooded the Woodbrook area.
“Experts” told Jack that the area “is below sea level”. Nonsense! No part of the City or its surrounds is “below sea level”. “Non-experts”, writing in the media point to the silt, vegetation, and the huge delta at the mouth of the Maraval River as the cause of the flooding. They are correct. The “experts” are wrong.
I regret that I did not accept Jack’s offer a year ago. He and I would have been condemned by Imbert and the media, but today the Special Children of the Princess Elizabeth Home would have been dry and happy!
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