Residents of Thirteenth Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara say that water let out of a flooded play field is responsible for their land being flooded; however chairman of the Buxton/Foulis Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) says that is definitely not the case.
One resident, who contacted Stabroek News on Thursday, said that for over three weeks the western half of Thirteenth Street had been under water. The man said that it was because a resident from Fourteenth Street cut through a dam that was built around the playground, causing the water to flow into the community.
However the NDC chairman, Randolph Blair said that the playfield had not been blocked off, rather the mud had been randomly thrown up when the drain was cleaned by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA). The water had accumulated in the playfield and was beginning to breed mosquitoes so it had to be let out. Blair said that this water has nothing to do with the level of water in Thirteenth Street, as water in all the drainage canals was very high.
He explained that the trench around the playfield was cleaned to assist with drainage and a dam was not built around the playfield to store water as the residents assume. He said the residents cannot blame the passage made for the water to run out of the playfield for their flooding since the high rainfall is responsible for the drainage canals being filled.
Contrary to this the resident who contacted Stabroek News said that the dam that borders the field was erected to prevent water from draining onto residents’ land. He said too that residents were told that water could be pumped into this area when it rose to high levels in the community.
Meanwhile Blair said there were several people attached to the NDIA working in the Enmore/Foulis area, cleaning drains and alleys. However, he said, they were facing difficulties with their work since residents were cleaning their cow pens and the slush was running into and blocking drains. Additionally, the dumping of garbage is affecting drainage, Blair said.
