Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Poker street, alleys inundated…Regional chairman blames flooding on collapsed koker and high tides
By Enid Joaquin
High tides, incessant rainfall and a collapsed koker on Burnham Drive, Wismar have resulted in the flooding of several yards and homes in Water Lily Road (Poker Street), First, Second and Third Alleys and some sections of
One of the flooded alleyways.
Silvertown.
However residents of Poker Street and Third Alley have fared the worst, with most of the homes flooded with water that overtopped drains and creeks. Residents reported water reaching to levels of more than a foot high in their homes in some instances. They swear that this is the worse they have seen and experienced.
“Water wake me up. When I mek so and turn on me bed I feel water. I lie down and feeling water. I seh wha is dis, and I jump up and was splash, in the water. Everything wet; they ain’t got nothing dry in that house- the only dry piece of clothes in the house is what I got on. The mattress wet, the fridge, everything in the water-right now I wondering if these electrical items gon work after this, because I am a single parent and things ain’t easy,” declared Petonni Joseph, a resident of Silvertown.
Similar sentiments were echoed by residents of Poker street, and Second and Third Alleys.
William Delph, of Poker Street, said that this is the worst that he has seen the flood waters. The entire bottom flat of the pensioner’s two-storied home was inundated.
He expressed concern that the contents of three barrels that were recently sent from overseas by a daughter would be damaged as they stood in more than a foot of water.
Other residents felt trapped in their homes, as many of them were apprehensive about venturing outside where the water was fetid.
“This water stink, stink, because it washing out all dem septic tanks and a few pit latrines; this ain’t healthy; people gonna get sick,” one man declared.
One young woman who was on her way to work had to be carried piggy back by a man across the water, which had completely inundated her yard.
“I went to work late yesterday because I had to wait for the water to go down. Bathing is also a problem, because the water splashing up on you,” she noted.
Regional Chairman Rennis Morian, who was out to assess the situation, said that the main reason for the flooding is the collapsed koker at Poker Street, which was further exacerbated by the extremely high tide, he opined.
“We have already called the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the Civil Defence Commission. We also spoke to Mr. Ronald Backer from the Office of the President. There was a meeting (yesterday) with Minister Patterson.” Engineers were expected later yesterday, according to Morian.
The Chairman added that while the high tides are expected for a little while longer, the objective of the RDC and other stakeholders is to bring relief as quickly as possible to affected residents.
He noted that the koker at Silvertown is leaking, hence the flooding in that area too.
Morian said that more than 80 residences are affected, with water in many of the homes.
Byron Kendall, who is attached to the NDIA, and has responsibility for Drainage and Irrigation in Region Ten said that the flooding is due to the fact that there is no door on the Poker Street koker, to keep out the water from the river.
“If the koker isn’t looked after urgently, there is nothing that we could do to reduce the flooding in these communities.”
Kendall said that currently the situation is being treated as an emergency.
Leslie Gonsalves, Special Assistant within the Ministry of Social Cohesion, noted, “What is happening here is something that could have been reduced by half. But I think we need some attention in this area. Along with the RDC, the NDIA needs to be here, because this is something that has been happening all the time.
Persons have been encroaching on the edges of the creek, so now the passage for the water to run has become narrower. The Town council needs to look into this because now the creek is just a narrow path, and this would add to the areas propensity for flooding,” he said.
With regard to the koker Gonsalves said, “We don’t need remedial works; we need a completely new koker, because the sub-base of the koker is destroyed. Engineers have to come here and do assessments so we can have a new koker.
“If we build a new koker regardless of climate change, flooding would be greatly alleviated in this area.”
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