A casual glance at the Maraval River, just opposite the National Stadium, as I passed by on Sunday, clearly indicated the cause of the severe flooding the day before that led to significant distress to people in the area, especially at the Prin-cess Elizabeth Home. Large tracts of vegetation had been allowed to grow on sand bars all along the river bed that had been deposited over the preceding months. Clearly there was no action taken by the authorities to dredge this part of the river to remove these obstacles.
Last year, at the commencement of the rainy season, which coincided with the election of the PP Government, the Minister of Works was adamant that he would ensure that the dredging of these rivers would be a priority in the fight against flooding, but with the advent of this year's rainy season, no such action has been taken.
The authorities have also failed to clear the river bed in Diego Mar-tin and no doubt many others, which is mandatory if they are serious about dealing with flooding. The use of retention ponds in the Port-of-Spain area was also bandied about but to date no action has been taken.
C Rodriguez
Petit Valley