There will be moves to provide alternative drainage for the North Ruimveldt area as early as this week using the South Ruimveldt Cane View Canal, says leader of the Georgetown Drainage Authority Lennox Lee.
Lee stated on Thursday that the water would be drained through the canal into the river, and is one of the efforts being looked at to address drainage issues in the North Ruimveldt area. In a drive through Festival City, North Ruimveldt on Thursday afternoon, several cross streets remained flooded, and alleyways overgrown.
Furthermore, the trenches lining the Festival City dam which is presently occupied by squatters, were littered and overgrown with vegetation.
In a GINA article on January 17, Lee noted that one of the factors influencing flooding in the Ruimveldt area is the presence of squatters. “Lee further explained that the Ruimveldt areas are more easily flooded because of the squatting. He pointed out that the drainage works cannot be carried out because there are many houses on the government reserve preventing the works. This has resulted in these areas being prioritized,” GINA had stated.
Lee offered no comment in relation to this topic on Thursday. Those living on the reserve noted that is has been some considerable time, perhaps years, that the trenches were thoroughly cleaned. There was, however, some mention of a section of the trench being dug out a few months ago following the demolition of the building that once held the Busta Company.
