In the aftermath of the flooding that affected hundreds of residents on Sunday due to the failure of an operator to close a sluice gate at Princes Street, Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore yesterday said the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has the situation well in hand while adding that persons responsible would be reprimanded.
“It’s something that we have under control at this time,” Mentore told Stabroek News during a telephone interview yesterday, while noting that the city engineer and the people who are manning the sluice “were on top” of the situation from the start.
He noted that there was a problem with the sluice door which they were aware of and it couldn’t be closed as a result.
In response to criticism by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who in a statement on Sunday called on the M&CC to enforce better management of drainage and irrigation facilities under its control in the city, Mentore said, “We will have to reprimand the engineers and also caution the supervisor and staff dealing with this. We will handle this at a level at the City Council”.
This newspaper also visited the Princes Street Sluice, where a worker informed that the operator was suspended and that there was uncertainty as to when an operator would be present. However, the Deputy Mayor explained that at the time when he was contacted, he could not provide information on the topic of any penalties having been enforced.
In its statement, the Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday disclosed that sometime between 9pm on Saturday and 4am on Sunday the sluice operator was supposed to close the sluice gate but that did not happen. It was reported that the tide began to rise, which resulted in an intrusion of water through the sluice gate which ultimately resulted in the flooding.
According to the Civil Defence Commission’s analysis of the situation, the roads in the Charlestown area were covered with about 8 inches of water while as much as 12 inches of water was on the Werk-en-Rust roadway. By yesterday, the floodwater had receded.
This newspaper visited some of the affected communities yesterday and residents shared concerns about damage to their homes and dead animals washing up. Joshua Lynch of Haley Street, Wortmanville, noted that it is not the first time this has happened. He then proceeded to show this newspaper a mark along his home where the water had risen to about 12 inches off the ground. This newspaper observed that Lynch’s home, as well as his neighbours’ homes, are slightly below the road level, which make them more vulnerable to flooding. The young man said that the floods are a cause for worry as persons have left their homes for work knowing that their yard is flooded and the water could enter.
Lynch also said that dead animals are washed up when the flooding starts. “Of [late], we find dead snakes washing up”, he noted. “I think they [M&CC] should put some consideration into having the council come and have the drain cleaned every three months or something,” he added.
Rachel Denny, an elderly woman who lives several lots away from Lynch, said the floodwaters did not rise high enough to get into her yard but noted that when the water is covering the road it prevents persons leaving their homes. She said that on Sunday she woke up around 6am and upon exiting her house she saw that the road was flooded. Denny, who had intended to go to the market, had to postpone her trip.
Denny added that the road is constantly being flooded and that when this happens, persons living along the road have to have long boots otherwise they cannot walk through the water to go anywhere. She then showed Stabroek News the parts on her bridge where the water reached and added that the paint along her fence and bridge is being washed away every time there is a flood.
Another resident living in the area said that on the eastern side of Haley Street, there isn’t much flooding. He said that for the most part, the water would stay on the road and that it doesn’t affect him much because the floodwater doesn’t make it all the way to his door or into his house. However, he shared his concerns for his neighbours living on the other side of the road because the water runs right into their yards and floods them. He also said that the flooding isn’t new and that while the water doesn’t stay for very long, it is concerning.
