Al-Rawi knocks 'delinquents' who block water courses, cause flooding

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi has criticised inconsiderate people who contribute to flooding by blocking waterways to build illegal structures.

Al-Rawi and representatives from the ministry and the Penal Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) visited Seuradge Trace, Debe, where people were marooned as floodwaters surrounded their homes on Wednesday.

He said the flooding is man-made, adding the area has had consistent flooding over the years. He said people backfilled, built walls into rivers, and didn't care about the consequences of blocking water courses.

"It cannot be that hundreds of people are prejudiced by the actions of one or two people. Some of these matters are in the court already. There are laws and due process. We must respect the system," he said.

"I am here to give my commitment to ensuring that we bring some relief. Sometimes you have to do it in court, and that is the remedy in this instance. From pillar to post, we will get the job done, but self-help and responsibility are hallmarks of ensuring we all have a chance of success."

Al-Rawi said his ministry distributed 35,000 sandbags on Tuesday when the tropical storm warning was in effect. The notice was lifted on Tuesday night.

He said he saw a lot of jokes on social media about the storm, including an image of Jesus Christ as a Trinidadian.

But, he said, "We cannot rely on God being a Trini. We must make sure we are prepared. We are not out of the woods yet. I have been from pillar to post nationwide assessing the situation."

Councillor for Barrackpore West Nicholas Kanhai also toured Seuradge Trace, saying many of the 100-plus residents have been affected by flooding for many years.

While the encroachment is a major part of flooding, Kanhai said, there are other issues such as breaches of riverbanks and lack of maintenance of water courses.

The councillor said many affected residents have reached out for social relief in the past but never got help from the government.

Moonasar Ramcharan, 67, who has lived in the area for 45 years,was happy to speak to Al-Rawi about the flooding. His small wooden house was surrounded by water. He was also happy Al-Rawi had taken legal action against people who blocked water courses.

Another affected resident, Mohammed Ali Gafur, 65, said although the water level was high, it was not as bad as the previous floods.

"Rain was falling hard last night. After 3 am, we moved the two cars from the yard, as the water kept rising.

"This is normal. We experience worse than this," Gafur said.

Apart from heavy rain, he also blamed people for the flooding. He said some people do not take responsibility for their actions and instead blame the government.

Newsday also visited flood-prone areas in Woodland. There were no reports of damage caused by the bad weather.

The South Oropouche River near the Sudama Teerath was high, but residents said the level was lower than at other times of continuous rain.

Haniff Ali-Bocas, 59, lives in a flat concrete house near the riverbank with his wife, their daughter, and her two children, two and five. Only he and his wife spent Tuesday night at home.

He was happy the storm warning had been lifted, saying his family, as well as the country, had been spared from a disaster.

"We got away. Today we could have been faced with a major disaster. Thank God that did not happen. We spent the night monitoring the rain," Ali-Bocas said. "At a point, the rain was falling so hard, I thought it was going to burst through the galvanised roof."

He said his home had been flooded many times in the past few years.

On Wednesday, workers from Heritage Petroleum were seen reinforcing the riverbank near his home.

"They are putting more mud on the riverbank to prevent water from entering the property. I am thankful for the help, because the water has already reached the yard."

He thanked activist Edward Moodie for calling the company to do the work. Ali-Bocas said the company had been working on a line in the area for the past few months.