FLOODS AGAIN – WHILE GOVT HAS $M FOR DREDGING

THE communities of Caroni Plains have suffered their annual flood washout – while the government has hundreds of millions of dollars for infrastructure improvement. 

The heavy and prolonged gush of water over the districts and run off from the Northern Range led to floods that were almost one foot high in some places and lingered for several agonising days. 

As in previous years, it is difficult to tabulate the total cost, but it includes wreckage to homes, vehicles, business premises and stock, food crops, livestock, appliances, furniture and more. 

That is in addition to the mental frustration and trauma suffered by thousands of residents and business proprietors during the ritual floods. 

Farmers lose their means of livelihood, and, with shortages at the market, consumer prices would go up for everyone. 

There were similar floods in low-lying areas of South Trinidad, principally off the Oropouche Basin.  

The consensus is that there would be reduced floods if water run-offs are set up, water courses are dredged, and new arteries are created. 

Deforestation, improper waste disposal and poor land use practices are other serious factors. 

These are being compounded by the impact of climate change. 

And yet there is no policy planning or engineering solution to the annual floods that have led, over time, to billions of dollars in devastation. 

Government engineers have not been put to work on this urgent and critical crisis. 

On top of that, the government recently accessed a total of $2.5 billion in loans from the Development Bank of Latin America, called CAF. 

CAF spelled out that the money be used for various forms of infrastructural improvement. 

The government also has Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) and Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF), both of which are assigned allocations each year. 

Construction of highways continues to gain precedence over resolving the longstanding flood nightmare. 

Maintenance of existing infrastructure is seemingly not high on the government’s priorities. 

The relevant government ministries have again not treated the floods with urgency, and have heavily depended on the Disaster Management Units (DMU) set up at each regional corporation. 

But DMUs are under-resourced. 

And there are no efforts at finding long-term solutions to the perpetual flood disasters.