The Region Three Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has repaired the sluice in Leguan at a cost of $2.2M in order to prevent the recurrence of severe flooding in the area.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) report, the sluice’s door was repaired, the winches were replaced and there were new wire ropes installed. Joseph Patterson, Regional Engineer, said the residents in Waterloo are relieved and can now farm with ease. “We had to treat the works as emergency works so that the residents can get proper drainage. So the people of Leguan, mainly Waterloo, are now getting to go about their daily routine more smoothly,” the report quoted him as saying.
According to the report, Leguan was one of the communities affected during the flood in December, 2016. Patterson said that this caused several drains in Waterloo village in Leguan to be clogged and blocked, disrupting farming activities, especially rice which is the main economic activity on the Island.
Patterson explained that the RDC took the initiative to repair the sluice in the area to prevent a recurrence. “This was one of the issues that the Leguan people were facing; they weren’t getting proper drainage because the door of the sluice in Waterloo was not functioning properly so late last year the administration used its savings to do repairs to the sluice,” he added.
According to the report, the RDC has plans to improve drainage in other areas on the Island this year and Patterson cited a drainage structure in Eastern Endeavour, which will cost $5M. Tenders for these works have been advertised already.
