Planning minister: Government will fix floods by enforcing laws

A police patrol monitors pedestrians walking on the pavement at City Gate along the mud and debris covered South Quay, Port of Spain after flooding last Tuesday. Photo by Grevic Alvarado -
A police patrol monitors pedestrians walking on the pavement at City Gate along the mud and debris covered South Quay, Port of Spain after flooding last Tuesday. Photo by Grevic Alvarado -

Government will be managing flooding through increased enforcement of legislation, Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis said on Saturday.

In a media release, the minister said there must be a balance between expanding population and proper usage of the environment.

The release comes after last Tuesday’s flooding in north-west Trinidad, including the capital Port of Spain, that claimed the life of a homeless man and severely affected homes and businesses.

“Legislation exists to regulate use and care of our environment and reinforcement will be enhanced to deal with flooding issues. Some of the regulations that will begin to be reinforced through the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) include the Water Pollution Rules, 2019 and the Water Pollution (Fees) Regulations, 2019, the Waste Management Rules, 2021 and the Waste Management (Fees) Regulations, 2021,” the minister said. “Other legislative mechanisms also include the Certificate of Environmental Clearance Rules, 2001 and the Air Pollution Rules.”

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, when contacted last Friday, said while there were setbacks associated with covid19, the short term plans to address flooding is still on track. In May last year, Sinanan told Sunday Newsday that there is a national drainage programme with the aim of addressing flooding within five years.

The national plan is being funded by the Corporacion Andina de Fomento (CAF) Development Bank at no cost to TT. When the plan is completed, CAF will facilitate the loan to finance the project.

Fire officers look at a car swept by floodwaters into the St Ann’s river, along the main road, last Tuesday. Photo by Jeff Mayers -

Asked for an update on the plan following last Tuesday’s flood, which affected communities near the St Ann’s River, which flows into the East Dry River, Sinanan said, “We have received preliminary findings from them.”

Robinson-Regis said while the ministry is conducting several programmes and introducing legislation, protecting the environment “must be the responsibility of every member of our national population.”

As the country awaits the enforcement of legislation, Sinanan said there is an ongoing exercise to locate catchment and pond areas. He did not go into further details adding only that covid19 may have set them back a bit but work is ongoing.

Sinanan also pointed to the indiscriminate dumping by those living in and near river beds

“We have some cuttings on the hills and so, which is not helping the situation. This is the new experience we have been having with the weather patterns for the last couple of years with serious downpour.”

Sinanan said his ministry is working with the Ministry of Planning and Development to address flooding, saying that everyone needs to be responsible.

In March 2019, Dutch consultant Witteveen+Bos International Projects B V, the Drainage Division of the Minister and CAF representatives, had technical site visits throughout the country. The objective of the site visits was to diagnose the causes of flooding particularly with what took place in October 2018 at Greenvale, La Horquetta.

On Friday, when Sinanan spoke with Sunday Newsday he said while there was debris in the watercourses, the major factor was the volume of water exceeded the watercourses’ capacity.

“There is no infrastructure in the world that can handle that amount of rainfall in a short space of time,” he said.

Residents clean up debris and mud along St Ann’s Main Road, St Ann’s after flooding last Tuesday. Photo by Jeff Mayers -

Last month, Germany, noted for its engineering, was hit by disastrous flooding following heavy rains which claimed over 150 lives and several homes.

Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization, is quoted in The Guardian in the UK that parts of Western Europe received up to two months of rainfall “in the space of two days.”

Climate change and a failure by leaders to adhere to warnings are the key factors being blamed for the deaths in Western Europe.

Robinson-Regis also signalled climate change as a factor in flooding in TT adding that pollution must be given its recognition in the role it plays.

She stated: “Aside from improper disposal of waste, air pollution and its link to climate change can also contribute to flooding episodes. With the significant increase of the motor vehicle population, pollution from emissions from motor vehicles has become another cause of concern since these emissions, together with the production of air pollutants from industry, contribute to global warming and climate change.”

She added that notable effects of climate are the increasing intensity of hurricanes and tropical storms and changing weather patterns resulting in increased periods of heavy rainfall over shorter periods of time.

What caused the flooding in Greenvale was a combination of manmade mistakes and the downpour of one month’s worth of rain in just two days.

Last Tuesday’s flood came following a downpour at around 3 pm and ended about 45 minutes later, according to the Meteorological Office.

Robinson-Regis said last week’s flooding was a grim reminder of the fragility of the environment and how mistreating natural resources can cause great harm to human life and livelihoods. The indiscriminate clearing of land without the necessary approvals as well as obstructing watercourses for construction and land development are other factors that cause flooding which she said will be addressed by her ministry.

She said: “We must adopt an attitude of environmental consciousness and responsibility for conservation and preservation of our national assets, be they man made or natural.”

With an increase in rigorous enforcement of existing environmental rules and regulations, she said her ministry will ensure that the Government is accountable, as well as those who generate and manage waste and are dependent on environmental activities for their livelihoods.

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