Al-Rawi: Property tax to help address flooding

PROPERTY TAX will be one of the tools the government will use to tackle illegal structures and illegal cutting of the hills, which contribute to flooding, Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi said.

At a virtual media conference on Thursday, Al-Rawi said his ministry received reports of people interfering with state property, which contributed to the flash flooding seen on Wednesday during the passage of a tropical wave.

Asked about this and what is to be done, Al-Rawi said: “The property tax management is going to reveal a lot of these things. For property tax to come into effect in local government, first, to get the money from property taxes, you have to have a survey of every single property in Trinidad at the same time, which is why the returns have come in.”

Al-Rawi said what is being done is identifying the problem and, when property tax is rolled out next year, money collected will go to the regional corporations to spend on those within their respective burgesses. He said there is a “comprehensive and integrated plan” to address floods that are assisted by illegal structures and unlawful actions.

Al-Rawi said, within ten minutes of rain some rivers went from two feet to seven feet. Between Wednesday and Thursday, there were 145 reports of flash flooding – 135 on Wednesday, and the rest on Thursday.

Areas within the Arima, Chaguanas and Sangre Grande borough corporations reported floods along with Tunapuna/Piarco, Princes Town and Mayaro regional corporations.

“I can tell you that the Tunapuna Regional Corporation had 95 of the events, and Sangre Grande Regional Corporation had 23 events alone. In terms of landslips, we had 30 landslips – all of which were managed.”

Al-Rawi said the ministry issued 2,437 sandbags across the country. He warned that the land remains saturated, so those living in areas known to have landslides should exercise caution. Chairman of the Office of Disaster and Preparedness and Management (ODPM) retired Major General Rodney Smart said the ODPM is well funded to address the emergencies which arise from bad weather.

He said the ODPM, with the permission of the Cabinet, received a donation from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) for a project in the country. Smart said not only is the ODPM well funded, corporate TT and non-governmental organisations partner with it to assist in times of need.