THE malfunctioning door of the koker at Water & Cowan Streets in Kingston, Georgetown, which engineers of the City Council had identified for repair just last week, collapsed yesterday during the afternoon

high tide, causing extensive flooding of areas such as Tiger Bay in North Cummingsburg, Thomas Lands, Eve Leary, along the Lamaha Street canal, and as far as Campbellville.The Mayor & Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC), as the entity responsible for the city and its immediate environs, came in for harsh criticism from Kingston residents.President Donald Ramotar, accompanied by Public Works Minister Robeson Benn; Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee; Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud; and Minister within the Local Government Ministry Mr. Norman Whittaker, visited the site of the damaged koker and toured the Kingston area to assess the extent of the flooding and initiate remedial plans to address the situation.Engineers and other personnel from the Public Works Ministry and the National Drainage & Irrigation Authority, assisted by their counterparts from BK International Limited, were engaged in preparations to initiate rehabilitative works to alleviate flooding in the city.Public Works Minister Robeson Benn told the media present that this was the second highest spring tide on record, and that equipment and materials were being brought to the site to control the situation when the water receded within two hours.Before a large gathering of curious onlookers, equipment, including a tug and barge from  BK International Ltd., arrived at the site; and workers from the Public Works Ministry began installing stoppage planks as a first resort, and loading sand bags to be used to stop the force of the water preparatory to other larger sandbags being installed later.Kingston residents spoke to the President during his visit, expressing their concern that the City Council had neglected to maintain the dilapidated koker. They claimed this was their third experience of being inundated by sea water occasioned by high tide negotiating the faulty koker door; and said that, after each flooding, there is no agency from which they could get redress.The President assured the residents that measures would be put in place to have the situation under control, pointing out that engineers and the incumbent minister were monitoring the situation and would report to him periodically.