Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
A Point Fortin community is pleading with the Point Fortin Borough Corporation (PFBC) to clean a river near their homes after April showers brought floods that damaged properties and left some villagers stranded.
Tired of complaining, Onika Alexander posted a video of Saturday’s flooding at Wharton Street, New Village, on the PFBC’s Facebook page.
The PFBC’s page reacted to the video, and New Village councillor Leslie Pascall responded, “Yeah, this is a problem I am aware of. That is really costly. We will try doing the job stage by stage and pray we get some relief.”
When Guardian Media visited Wharton Street yesterday, debris blocked the water flow, and silt partially covered the concrete culvert under the road.
Speaking at her home, Alexander said it had been five years of flooding woes. Despite reporting the issue to the PFBC, Point Fortin MP Kennedy Richard’s office and Pascall, she said, there was only a site visit but no work.
“Yesterday (Saturday), we got a shower of rain after lunch, and I heard my neighbour blowing. He probably just blew to let me know what was going on. When I looked out the window, the area was completely filled with water. Half the yard filled up, and the river was full. People could not even pass because, as you can see, the area is very low,” Alexander said.
She said what was worse was that every time the river spilled over, it eroded the land around her property. She said she hired someone to place concrete slabs on the river bank to protect the property, but it was insufficient. She fears the water may eventually damage the foundation of the home she has been building for the last seven years.
Furthermore, she said, the PFBC needed to clear and widen the river, as the flooding worsened annually, bringing caimans into her yard.
Wayne Vesprey, who lives nearby, said there was heavy flooding whenever there was rain. Therefore, he said, the PFBC must clear the drain up to 200 feet from the community. Despite his constant pleas, he said he could not explain why the authorities were unwilling to help. But with general elections in 2025, he said, he expected the politicians would come around with promises soon.
“Yesterday, it just rained for about an hour and a half and I had to wait for almost two hours before I could cross here. Caimans in the water, water up to about three feet. I mean, it is unsafe. We need a little fixing up of the road, as you can see for yourself, and proper drainage, most importantly. If you all could assist us by giving us a higher bridge,” Vesprey said.
Pascall told Guardian Media that he was aware of the issue and was trying to assist the resident with constructing proper drainage. However, he said, unplanned development was the issue. He said the PFBC cleaned and excavated to widen the river during a programme of works last year. Unfortunately, it is not helping Alexander, as she lives down a hill where the water runs down the slope.
However, Pascall could not say when the PFBC would tackle the problem, noting several projects under a developmental programme are awaiting funds from the Ministry of Finance.