AT SOME point in time we will have to accept the reality that we are a tropical country and that a part of that reality is that we will be subjected to periods of heavy rainfall. When we accept that reality our physical planning will have to include measures to prevent the level of flooding which we experience far too frequently.
The rains of this week were associated with a tropical storm - this being the hurricane season. Nonetheless it is the third time in the period of a year when heavy rains have resulted in widespread flooding, forcing people from their homes, destroying crops and generally disrupting the rhythm of our daily lives. As a tropical country we ought to be able to accommodate and adjust to periods of heavy rainfall without the degree of dislocation that we now have.
When the Sandy Gully was built in the 1950s its political opponents denounced the Government of the day as a "gully government." But the Sandy Gully scheme has been vindicated over and over again; those who had the vision to implement it were thinking way ahead of their time and the money that was expended in its construction has been more than justified.
Without the Sandy Gully project the Corporate Area would experience far more extreme flooding than we now have. The amount of water that runs in the gullies during heavy rains is proof of this. Where we have been delinquent is in failing to link the drainage for some of the new housing developments to the Sandy Gully relying instead on the road system to handle the run-off.
The provision of proper drainage systems to handle floodwater must be an enforced requirement of all developments across the island. Coupled with that there are gully courses and other places where people have established residences which are clearly unfit for human habitation. The present residents ought not to be allowed to continue to live there and no new houses should be permitted.
The relevant agencies of government have developed a degree of efficiency in dealing with the aftermath of these natural disasters. It is time for the authorities to turn more attention to the preventive measures that will minimise the disasters. Emphasis on more adequate drainage of flood waters and better regulation of housing developments are two key areas that should be tackled urgently.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
