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Senior Inspector at the Drainage Division, Terrol Inniss (right)??showing Minister of the Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe, a well that is over 40 feet deep at Thorpes, St. James, built to mitigate against flooding in the area.??(C.Pitt/BGIS)

Everyone is responsible for the management of flooding in their area!

That is the advice of Minister of the Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe, who has also appealed to homeowners and residents of communities to play their part and assist with keeping the drains clear.

"Flood management is our business, not just that of the Drainage Division. [Therefore], where citizens can assist to help carry out the work, we are appealing to you to come on board to safeguard communities against flooding," he said.

He made these statements today during a tour of traditional flood prone areas at Brathwaite’s Gap and Headley’s Land, in St. Michael, and Thorpes and Holetown, St. James.

Dr. Lowe explained that there were situations where all that was required to reduce flooding was "for a bag to be removed from the mouth of a well," or for the Drainage Division to be notified about a problem in a neighbourhood which residents could not handle.

"We already see the [good] efforts on the part of the residents, but we want them to escalate those efforts," Dr. Lowe said.

The Minister noted that the Drainage Division already worked closely with St. James and The City District Emergency Organisations and did adaptation work in flood prone areas. However, he made it clear that the Division was available for consultation should those in communities need assistance.

Meanwhile, residents were also assured that Drainage was fully equipped with the necessary safety gear to effectively carry out its operations and for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season.

This assurance came from Director of the Drainage Division, Keith Barrow, who said there was full safety gear available including vests, helmets, steel tip boots, goggles, respirators, dusk masks and shields for the whackers.

"The idea is to show [the public] that the Drainage Division is equipped with safety equipment and well stocked," he said.

julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb

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