PRIME Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips on Thursday reassured the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) that the government is committed to working with them to ensure that the city’s drainage infrastructure is working at optimum levels at all times.

Prime Minister Phillips made the comments during a meeting with Mayor Ubraj Narine; Deputy Mayor, Alfred Mentore; Town Clerk (ag), Candace Nelson and other technical staff from the M&CC, at the Office of the Prime Minister, a release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The Prime Minister noted that the meeting comes at an important juncture as the city and the entire country are facing an above-normal rainy season. He recalled checks that were done by officials that showed there were cases where no pump attendants were present and other pumps had no fuel.

“Unless there is unusual rainfall I am confident we have in Georgetown the infrastructure to drain the water,” the Prime Minister said, while noting that once the infrastructure is properly managed then there should be no significant issues.

He added that he would request assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. “I would certainly convey the request to the ministers,” he said.

During the meeting, Mayor Narine stated that the City Council is ready to work along with the government to fix the pending issues. He admitted that this is not the first time the city has experienced issues and the reports that were made to the Prime Minister are true.

Mayor Narine highlighted that one of the pressing issues that the City Council is currently facing is the shortage of staff to manage the sluices and pump stations, the release said.

Currently, the workers work a seven-day-per-week shift. This, the Prime Minister pointed out, should not be and it should be changed into a five-day-per-week shift system. To help with this, he said that he will consult with the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall to forge a way forward to assist the Town Council.

“We are dealing with an emergency situation here and you need staff to ensure the pumps and sluices operate,” Prime Minister Phillips stated.

Another issue raised was a silted sluice door, which the Prime Minister also committed to assisting to fix through the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

The mayor also noted that they are looking for additional assistance with fuel from the government. Currently, the NDIA also assists the City Council with fuel to operate their pumps during the rainy season.

At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to addressing the three main issues of staffing, the silted koker door and additional fuel assistance.
The mayor also committed to having stern conversations with the city’s Engineering Department to ensure that they are functioning at an optimum level, the release said.