With the rainy season here, many residents of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown are expressing concern about clogged canals, which could pose a potential threat, since this has been the main reason for flooding in the past.
When this publication visited the area, residents indicated that they have, on numerous occasions, called on the Georgetown City Council to have the canal which drains the East Ruimveldt area unclogged. However, it seems as though their calls have fallen on deaf ears.
“We call them, you know…every time, and they don’t come. This thing is not just this year, it is something that we facing for as long as I could remember. Look at the canal. You can’t even know that it get a canal there. People who not from round here don’t know,” a resident stated.
The Front Road Canal
Residents indicated that neglected canals, overgrown vegetation, and silt and garbage have caused the waterways to become blocked with debris; and as such, they cannot facilitate the increased water flow during rainy days.
“What happen is that all this bush and tree grow up in the trench, and nobody really clear it out from the start; so that’s why that’s happening now. The water don’t have nowhere to go, and the place looking like a jungle,” he further explained.
Just a month ago, it was reported that many residents of the area experienced flooding when heavy rainfall was experienced for a period of two days.
Floyd King Stuart, an affected resident, had noted at that time that he has been residing in the area for over 20 years, and the flooding situation has only worsened with time.
In some instances, the water rose by more than two feet, since the Front Road Canal is silted up and overgrown with vegetation.
Persons have indicated that in order for residents to get some relief from the constant flooding, the silt needs to be removed and the vegetation has to be cleared, so that the excess water can leave the communities.
“They got to come and dig out all the silt that build up and then the water could run out,” has been the general consensus.
The residents are calling on the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to engage the public in a discussion which can result in a favourable outcome. In the past, it is alleged, the council has ignored the residents’ plight.
