Dear Editor,
I noticed a backhoe belonging to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure cleaning drains in Sheriff Street last week and in Stone Avenue this week. The Minister should please let his engineers and machine operators know that cleaning the drains between the residents’ bridges will not have a significant effect on the drainage; the water will simply collect in the low spots and not flow to the canals which will take it to the kokers and pumps through which it can reach the Atlantic.
He should also suggest that they remove the slush and clay instead of leaving it on the parapet to be washed back into the drains the next time it rains.
The drainage issues need to be addressed in a comprehensive manner rather than the haphazard approach that is so clearly visible. One day spent cleaning one single block in Pike Street, followed by another day the next week cleaning two blocks in Sheriff Street, and one day the week after cleaning three blocks in Stone Avenue do little to improve the flow of water, especially when done in the manner described above.
If the main drains and canals are neglected the water that is accumulating in these smaller drains will have nowhere to go and the area will continue to flood.
Yours faithfully,
Ernest M Ford
