By Sue-Ann Wayow
A FAULTY breaker is being blamed for the massive flooding in Woodland and surrounding areas on Monday as the floodgates which should have been opened in a timely manner, remained closed.
Instead, residents had to leave their flooded homes in low tide to manually open the gates at the 14-gate site located on the outskirts of Woodland to allow for a water run-off into the Gulf of Paria as there was no electricity supply to operate the gates, Member of Parliament for Oropouche West Davendranath Tancoo said.
He said flooding may have still occurred due to the incessant rainfall but the severity of damage would have been much less.
Tancoo visited the site on Tuesday at around 2.30 pm and at the time of his visit, 12 of 14 gates were opened.
Speaking with AZP News on Tuesday evening, he said when he was made aware of the situation of the floodgate on Monday, he immediately contacted both Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan and Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales.
Gonzales, he said, immediately responded and intervened by communicating with the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC).
A crew was dispatched but by the time they arrived the residents had already manually opened three of the gates.
Tancoo said, “This problem would not have occurred if checks were made to ensure that the flood gate was properly working before the rainy season. A breaker caused the people substantial discomfort in Woodland.”
In a video that he did while at the site, Tancoo said, “When the villagers and opened these floodgates manually, they found that an electrical breaker in the hut next door that services the equipment here was damaged and therefore that is why there was no electrical supply to ensure the gates were up open and closed during and off the flood event.”
Within an hour of opening three and a half of the floodgates, water levels decreased in Woodland by one foot, he was informed.
If the floodgates were opened much earlier, the water levels would have been considerably lower.
He said when electricity was restored, with the matter being resolved privately, more gates were opened on Monday to a total of nine. The rest were opened on Tuesday, he told AZP News.
Tancoo also said the pump at the site was in need of repair and therefore also not working.
The issues are not new and have been raised in Parliament.
“This is geographic discrimination at its highest and it must stop now,” he said in his video as he blamed the Government for neglecting the people of South Trinidad and especially those in the Penal/Debe region, parts of which fall under his constiteuncy.
Tancoo told AZP Newswhile work may have been done in the area in terms of clearing and dredging, they were not being done comprehensively contrary to what a Ministry of Works and Transport release would have stated.
He invited Sinanan to again visit the area and the floodgate.
Tancoo said Sinanan also responded subsequently on Monday to give him an update on the electrical situation which he was already aware of.
The MP said he spent most of Monday assisting with the transportation of children who had to go to school especially those who were writing secondary school examinations.
While Tuesday had more sunshine, areas were still flooded with no rain, water would take about four to five days to recede completely, Tancoo said.
