THE clearing of trenches and canals in Georgetown to ensure proper drainage and minimise incidents of flooding is the responsibility of the Mayor and City Council, says Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn.

The minister was responding to a question posed in the National Assembly on Thursday by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), Volda Lawrence.
Lawrence asked, specifically, whether the Public Works Ministry has any plans to address the flooding in Kaikan and Well Road, North Ruimveldt and on Aubrey Barker Street, South Ruimveldt Park.
In response, Benn acknowledged that not only the areas mentioned by Lawrence but areas in the south eastern section of Georgetown are prone to flooding when there is heavy rainfall.
He pointed out that his ministry, some two years ago, had done an assessment with respect to why the area was flooding and why there was a prolonged period before the water drained off in South Georgetown.
According to him, that assessment indicated that not only were the canals and trenches clogged with vegetation but also the tertiary drainage was not operating because many persons in residential areas had built bridges and entranceways of varying heights over the drains, thereby impeding the drainage system.
The minister stressed that the question of fixing this matter should be placed at the door of City Hall. He added that the ministry does not have any immediate plans or the resources to address the issue.
“We have gone around from time to time and we have attempted to clear some of these trenches and canals, but this activity is under the remit of the Mayor and City Councillors of the city of Georgetown,” he stated.
He further said that the work the Public Works Ministry has been doing in the city has taken up much of the time and resources which should be expended in other areas and communities.
Meanwhile, APNU’s Joseph Harmon asked whether the ministry would still be prepared to allocate some of its resources to deal with the situation as it currently exists. However, Benn said that the ministry cannot address the issue at this time.
He explained that the ministry’s excavators which could have been used to assist in the clearing of the drainage systems have been recently sent off to Bartica to deal with a garbage and road situation there.

EXCAVATORS DOWN
He noted that the Mayor and City Council has five excavators, but only one was working at the last count.
Benn said further that the ministry had offered to assist in acquiring the necessary parts to repair the excavators which are not working and had requested a list from the council, but to date none has been received.