Drains to get removable covers

A resident cuts the concrete cover from a drainage system in order to facilitate cleaning. Photo Credit: Mark Vanterpool

Minister of Communication and Works Mark Vanterpool said it is difficult for some drains to be cleaned due to the type of covering on them – a situation that no doubt contributed to the flooding experienced in sections of Road Town during the tropical wave on August 7.

He noted that, to facilitate easier cleaning, the covering on drains in the Long Bush area will be changed.

“These particular drains are covered, so they are difficult to clean. A different plan is now being employed to take off the covers and replace them with removable slabs, so they can be cleaned more often,” Vanterpool said.

He added that a ghut leading from Joe’s Hill is also posing a major challenge and should be diverted. “This particular ghut needs some diverting, and that is being worked on.”

Vanterpool explained that the long-standing problem is that, whenever it rains, the Joe’s Hill ghut empties into other ghuts, and also overflows into the Crabbe Lot area known as Ghetto.

“The ghut coming down from Joe’s Hill was also blocked with all the debris that came down, blocking the burial ground and creating about eight feet of debris in the area,” Vanterpool further said.

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