THE Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) has sent a team to Quarry Village, Siparia to investigate flooding, after allegations in the media blamed it on a land developer allegedly diverting a waterway.
This was said to be to the detriment of local residents whose homes were flooded out in recent heavy rain.
This was stated by Paula Webber, head of the ministry's Drainage Division, at a news conference at the ministry in Port of Spain, on Thursday.
The briefing was introduced by Works Minister Rohan Sinanan, who had to leave to go to Cabinet, but who said technocrats were being presented UNC councillors in the Sangre Grande and Siparia Regional Corporations alleged that the ministry's Drainage Division had given approvals to two developers in each region respectively which critics said had led to recently flooding.
Webber said regarding Sangre Grande, the complainant who is head of the regional corporation, Anil Juteram, had not specified any particular developer for blame. She said such issues can be discussed at the regular monthly meeting between her division and the corporation.
On Siparia, Webber said that while a recent news story had alleged her division had given a developer permission to work in the rainy season, the division had done so, but that was in 2018 and without the division controlling when the developer would do his work.
Commenting on claims that much flooding at Quarry Village was to be blamed on the developer diverting a watercourse, Webber said the diversion was likely done by someone who was constructing a bridge and it might be just temporary.
Otherwise she said that of 2015 desilting projects planned by the MOWT, some 134 were complete, with others at various stages of completion. These efforts would bring relief from flooding, she said.
Her division's development programme, she said, would include rehabilitating and paving watercourses, especially the Maraval, Diego Martin and St Ann's Rivers in Port of Spain.
Webber said a review of previous studies of watercourses would be complete by March/April, after which the division would note the recommendations of the consultant doing the review.
Acting director of the ministry's Highways Division Anil Mohansingh said Trinidad and Tobago had recently had "uncharacteristic rainfall."
He said the North Coast Road had suffered fallen trees at four places and landslips at three. However, by Wednesday evening, connectivity with La Fillette had been re-established by way of one lane of the road way.
Dr Ancil Kirk, assistant co-ordinator of the Town and Country Planning Division, said the division has standards and guidelines to mitigate against flooding being caused by developers. He said developers were told to seek approval by his division, the local regional corporation and other relevant agencies.
His division ensures that the development that is built matches the proposal which was approved, failing which the regional corporation will step in.
