Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Floodwaters lingered in Penal and Barrackpore yesterday, leaving residents anxious and fearful as overcast skies brought further worries. Many remained marooned in their homes in places like Kanhai Trace North, Sammy West Trace, Penal, and parts of Rochard Road, which were still underwater.
When the Guardian visited the area, Glory Chandarbhan and her husband, Bholchan, sat in the upstairs part of their Rochard Douglas home. Bholchan said they could not start to clean because of the water.
“We coping real hard because you can’t come out, can’t do nothing, cannot clean out,” Chandarbhan said. “It have plenty snakes, scorpions, insects, rats, and plenty of rats which came through the flood. Six or seven snakes we saw downstairs.”
Glory, who has stage four cancer, said she felt hopeless. “I am afraid. Because of how I am sick, I cannot walk, and we saw a lot of snakes and scorpions in the water,” she lamented.
At Kanhai Trace North, another resident, Ramdeo Ramsawak, was afraid. “Right now the water dropped a little, but watch the skies. We are sure to get more rain soon,” he said.
Ramsawak also said they were waiting for the floodwaters to recede before they could assess how badly they were affected. Under another resident’s house, dead ducklings were seen. At a mosque in Barrackpore, volunteers were finally able to start cleaning. A representative said the waters rose more than four feet on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation, Gowtam Maharaj, said they received 45 distress calls. Thirty of these householders received aid yesterday. Maharaj said 15 more families will receive aid today. “We distributed over 3,000 sandbags over the past few days, and we have been visiting the families and providing hampers, mattresses and other supplies,” he said.
Maharaj stressed the urgent need for a collaborative approach to tackle the flooding issues since clogged rivers were a major factor. Regarding illegal land development and indiscriminate backfilling, which residents claimed also contribute to floods, Maharaj said, “We are examining the areas where improvements are needed due to improper backfilling. We will address these issues by providing solutions through the relevant agencies.”
Maharaj also mentioned that heavy equipment will be used to clear watercourses once the floodwaters recede.
He said the Disaster Management team has been on the ground, assisting affected residents.
Maharaj once again called on the Government to release the $21 million allocated in the last fiscal budget for developmental projects, emphasising the importance of timely intervention to prevent future floods.