Civil engineer at The University of the West Indies, Dr Don Samuel, said a national drainage study is needed now to solve this country's flooding crisis.
This, as flood waters ravaged communities in North and East Trinidad, washing away vehicles and sweeping away hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of valuables.
Speaking with Guardian Media as parts of T&T remained under Orange Alert for riverine flooding, Dr Samuel said increased surface runoff in recent times has been a result of climate change.
"The capacity of drainage infrastructure has been exceeded due to inadequate and obsolete drainage," Dr Samuel explained.
He said the loss of efficient drainage paths, as well as pollution of drains and water courses, has exacerbated the problems.
Saying spillage into adjacent roadways and communities has been the result of unplanned developments, Dr Samuel said there also is an urgent need to crack down on unscrupulous developers and unpermitted quarrying.
Dr Samuel said with the increased prevalence of floods, it is important to take action now.
"We must commission a National Drainage Study, which will examine the efficiency of the country's drainage network," the civil engineer explained.
“This study will also identify the high-risk areas of flooding," he said.
He also recommended an increase in the resourcing of the Water Resources Agency.
"The Drainage Division also needs more resources so it can provide digitalized flood maps for the country," Dr Samuel said.
According to Dr Samuel, to alleviate any loss of lives and properties, it is important to enforce planning, environmental and pollution laws so that flood zones can be established.
"We need to address illegal dumping and illegal quarrying. Dumping in watercourses must be a thing of the past," Dr Samuel added.
During the past two years, squatting has escalated in many parts of the country. Valuable forests have been chopped down in the eastern parts of Trinidad, resulting in devastating floods.
Illegal quarrying also has caused extensive pollution of natural watercourses, destruction of wildlife and forests, irreparable damage to the ecosystem and the environment, flooding and distress in peaceful communities.
In October 2021, officers attached to the Multi-Agency Task Force of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) cracked down on an illegal quarrying site at the forest reserve in Matura. Wallerfield farmers also have complained that armed gang members have chased them off legitimate farming areas so that they could do illegal quarrying.
During a recent interview, Conservator of Forests Denny Dipchansingh said T&T’s forests were being bulldozed by unscrupulous quarry operators. He said the Public Service Commission needs to fill posts for some 70 to 80 foresters and 50 forest rangers.
Conservator Dipchansingh said over the past decade, 213 hectares of forests have been destroyed in T&T.