Penal residents call for drainage works on Coramata River

Residents of Suchit Trace, Penal, on Saturday called for drainage works to be done on the Coramata River to reduce the possibility of flooding in the area.

Due to covid19 and restrictions on demonstrations under the state of emergency, residents broke themselves up into smaller groups and spread out along the street to highlight their concerns.

They also lined the area’s road with white flags and stuck placards on their vehicles which expressed their frustration about flooding. The exercise was led by the South Oropouche Riverine Flood Action Group.

Even though it was approved, police officers monitored the residents.

The group’s president Edward Moodie said drainage works must be done along the banks of the Coramata River which flows through the area.

A former environmental science teacher, Moodie said the factors that lead to constant flooding were multifaceted and as such, it required a multifaceted approach.

“With the slightest rain, we are being flooded out.

“We (in the group) have done research for a year and a half along the entire watercourse. We need it (the river) desilted and we need it widened to its original capacity.

“We have all the first world status solutions to fix this problem. Some of them are basic, some of them are short-term, some are medium-term and some are long-term,” he said.

Apart from drainage work on the river, Moodie also suggested construction of a retention pond and installation of pumps along the river.

“The main things we need right now are retention damns and (to manage) the outflow into the Gulf of Paria as we need more water to reach the Gulf.

“How do we achieve that? With pumps at Woodland, with pumps at Fyzabad and with pumps at Tulsa trace.”

Moodie said Saturday’s demonstration was necessary to raise awareness for the plight of the residents.

“We (the group) are not going to stop, we are going to grow. We are getting bigger and our group is standing up more and more.

“We are going to continue our efforts and try to have dialogue. But if all else fails, we are going to make another move which is to be from a bigger entity and stand up even stronger,” warned Moodie.

Oropouche West MP Dave Tancoo was also present.

Tancoo accused Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan of ignoring the area’s flooding problem and invited him to tour the area.

“I want to use this platform to invite the Minister of Works and Transport to stop hiding in his office.

“Come outside, meet the residents and let them tell you what they feel when they wake up in the morning, put their feet down on the ground and there is floodwater there.

“Let them tell you how they feel when for days after rain fall we still have flood water in people’s homes.”

Resident Jairam Bedasie told Sunday Newsday that in recent years, he has lost over $30,000 worth of appliances due to flooding in the area.

Apart from its financial effects, frequent flooding has also affected Bedasie’s health.

In the devastating floods of October 2018, debris damaged his left foot and led to his hospitalisation.

Bedasie explained, “When I came out a night during the 2018 floods, it had water in my bedroom and I got my foot cut.

“I ended up in ward six (of the San Fernando General Hospital) and spent one week.”

Despite the toll on Bedasie’s finances and health, he said he only got a few thousand dollars in assistance to date.

He is now joining the call to have drainage and infrastructural work done in the area to mitigate the effects of flooding.