I reside in the San Juan area and have a first-hand account of the flooding which took place last Wednesday. What caught my attention, though, is that rain fell for only 45 minutes and the entire San Juan/Barataria area was transformed into a sea of confusion.
We consistently blame every government for flooding throughout the country but we seem to be missing a chief contributor, or place little attention there. Yes, I agree that there is need for proper drainage in many areas but if these drains are clogged would we not have floods?
Last Wednesday I saw hundreds of plastic bottles, food boxes, destroyed home appliances, and trees, etc, in our river pathway. The rubbish I saw could fill several garbage trucks. This is the main contributing factor to flooding in the San Juan/Barataria area. We, the citizens, need to take the responsibility here.
If we do not change our attitude and dispose of our garbage properly, no amount of money spent on improving drainage will suffice.
Arnold Gopeesingh
San Juan