The sudden creation of a canyon and a lake in the village of Ravine Sable by uncontrolled mining and bad weather two years ago terrified residents then but it may now save their lives. When the earth at the side of the Old Trainline Road in the central district caved in and a large lake appeared after heavy rain in May 2010, frightened residents felt their entire village might have been swallowed up by the expanding canyon. Yesterday, Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) CEO Ganga Singh told the Guardian that the lake now contains 288 million gallons of water. He said the authority is looking at the possibility of transforming the lake into a source of potable water.
He recalled: "In May 2010 the Caparo River burst its banks and went this area where sandmining took place. "As a result, 288 million gallons of water is being sequestered in the area." Singh and Works Minister Jack Warner and a team toured the site last Monday in preparation for a geo-technical investigation of the area to determine its feasibility. Shamshad Mohammed, Director of Drainage at the Works Ministry, said because of the erosion of the land there was now a natural flow through the ground into WASA's aquifers in the area.
Further, the sequestering of water in the lake had alleviated flooding in some areas of Caparo, a longstanding headache for villagers for years, Mohammed added. Singh said: "We need to do a technical investigation of the area to see if it can retrieve water. "If it is viable option, we will take the opportunity presented by an artificial formation to see how best we can utilise it as a source of potable water and for flood prevention." Singh said if investigations revealed the area was feasible for the water plant, there would be no need for the Mamoral Dam for which residents of flood-prone Ravine Sable, Caparo and environs have long been waiting.
The Mamoral Dam was one of the recommendations of the Dutch firm, Royal Haskoning, in 1995 to alleviate flooding in Central Trinidad. The firm, hired by the then government to do a study, recommended the construction of seven detention points which were to evolve eventually into the Mamoral Dam. The $125 million project was part of the former PNM government's Vision 2020 plan but it never got started. Singh said if the accidental lake became a viable option, any plans by the present Government to redesign the Mamoral Dam may be shelved.
He said the Ravine Sable lake project would be a lot less expensive. "It ought to cost a lot less, utilise less labour and have a shorter timeline. "And, due to its depth, it will retrieve significantly more water," he added.