Mayor of Linden, Sharma Solomon today lashed back at the government over flooding in the town yesterday.
A statement by the mayor follows:
As our thoughts and prayers are with fellow Lindeners regarding the severe flooding and erosion that recently affected our town. These events have caused significant damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure, leaving many in our community facing hardships and uncertainty.
The suffering and losses brought upon residents are as a result of government’s mismanagement of services that were removed by the Ministry of Local Government from the oversight of the council’s mandate as stipulated in 28:01, these responsibilities were instead given to Community development councils [CDC] and the CIIP Project, which includes the cleaning and maintenance of drains, cleaning of soakaways and even parapets. It must be noted that 13 of these CDC chairpersons across the town of Linden are candidates for the 2023 Local Government Elections and its directors are former PPP/C Councillors. The CIIP Project employs monthly workers at $70,000 and seasonal CDC workers at $25,000 for maintenance of these municipal assets.
The council at its last statutory meeting highlighted the root causes of these issues which lie in long-standing neglect and inadequate infrastructural works. Despite repeated requests for support and intervention even for the Linden Town Week preparations, from higher levels of government, the council has not received the necessary resources and attention to address these needs. The government’s refusal to include the council as outlined in article 13 to participate meaningfully in the decision making process resulted in the council’s exclusion of working with and giving advice for sound infrastructural and drainage decisions within the town.
The recent flag raising clean up project where government spent tens of millions of dollars over looked the cleaning and clearing of main creeks, such as the Hymara, Wakanaboo and Katakara creeks has proven ineffective over the past 48hrs of addressing the issue of flooding and erosion across the town. Other infrastructural works such as roads and bridges have had their structure integrity compromised due to the absence of drains to accompany these recently constructed roads, such as ice water road and several foot paths in the Victory Valley area, against the advised of the council and who along with residents had publicly protested this and were labelled anti-development.
The recent floods have exposed the deficiencies in our drainage systems, the inadequacy of our erosion control measures, and the overall fragility of our infrastructure with the need for studies of drainage networks across the town. These problems are not new; they are the result of years of underinvestment and neglect.
I read a very incoherent statement by the Prime Minister regarding the devastating floods that affected the town. Insteadof ensuring that the systems that would correct these works and the council being allowed to do its work would have avoided all this disaster. I must express my disappointment and concern over the central government’s handling of this crisis and the apparent political maneuvering that has impacted the provision of adequate resources.
The floods have caused significant hardship, displacing families, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting daily life. In times of such dire need, our focus must be solely on providing immediate relief and support to those affected, regardless of political affiliations. Unfortunately, the response from the central government has fallen short of the necessary support required to effectively address this disaster.
Our requests for additional resources and assistance have been met with delays and insufficient support, leaving our community to bear the brunt of this catastrophe with limited means. This is not a time for political gamesmanship; it is a time for unified action and solidarity to alleviate the suffering of our people.
I urge the central government to set aside political differences and prioritize the needs of our community. We require immediate and substantial assistance to manage the flood relief efforts effectively. This includes funding for emergency services, infrastructure repair, and support for displaced residents and cash grants for those who suffered losses.
Furthermore, I call for a comprehensive review of our current disaster preparedness and response strategies to ensure that such situations do not occur again. This review should meaningfully involve stakeholders such as the Municipality, RDC, experts, and community representatives to develop a robust and coordinated approach to future crises.
Our primary responsibility is to our citizens, and it is important that we work together to restore normalcy and rebuild our community. The Council is committed to collaborating with the central government to achieve this goal, but it requires a genuine commitment to action over politics.
This is a challenging time for our community, but I am confident that, with solidarity and cooperation, we can overcome these difficulties and rebuild stronger. Your resilience and spirit are the backbone of our town, and together, we will emerge from this crisis.
Thank you for your strength and patience during this difficult period. We will keep you updated on our progress and any new developments.
Sincerely
Sharma Solomon.
Mayor of Linden.
