Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has announced that several rivers in Dominica will be dredged since they are posing a threat to lives and properties on the island.
He stated last week that a regional firm was contracted to clean up the country following the passage of Hurricane Maria and a “massive fleet of equipment” would arrive last week Wednesday and the first order of business was to “descend on the rivers of Dominica.”
“There are too many rivers that are posing a serious danger to lives and properties across Dominica,” he said.
He gave the example of the Roseau River, saying that people who live on its banks cannot sleep at nights, “even when it is drizzling.
“I visited Copthall for example … and if we do not do something for them there urgently all of this investment these people have there will be washed away because it was affected by Erika and it was also affected dramatically by Maria,” Skerrit said. “So the whole of Copthall runs the risk of being affected if we do not bring in heavy duty equipment there to manage the dredging of the river, redirect the flow of the water to mitigate against disasters.”
He said the same problem exists at the Melville Hall River, Pichelin and Castle Comfort.
The Prime Minister stated that the challenge in Dominica is the lack of sufficient equipment and many who have them are engaged in private work.
“Time is of the essence,” he remarked. “We in Dominica must stop fooling ourselves, the government, all of us in Dominica must stop fooling ourselves that we have all of the human resources and the skills and the talents to respond to respond to these disasters. The quicker we can get up as citizens and recognize that we need help, any and all help we can get is better for us. But some people may want to look at contracts, we may have contracts for two years, but we do not have two years for some things. We do not have two years to dredge the Roseau River. We do not have two years to cover people’s roofs. We do not have two years to build, to design, to cost and build a number of the retaining walls …”
He added, “So we have to continue to be in an emergency mode for the foreseeable future.”
REALLY!!! How smart of you HeadClown!!!
Dredging is part of the solution and something that should have been done immediately after Erika.
Whilst awaiting ‘heavy’ equipment, locals could have been employed to move the smaller rocks/stones etc, and using these to form walls for protection from rivers rising.
Only now you see Dominicans have been fooling themselves ? Is the only reason you and your gang are still in government.
Skerrit, you remember when you said if someone has a business close to the river they should dredge the river, the should not wait no the government to do it? have you now realize how stupid you were? well there are three hundred and sixty-five to dredge including the one de priest dry-up in veille case. Soon you will realize how foolish that is. when are you going to come to your senses?
Why not relocate the people on the rivers edge.
I cannot wait to see comments on how these stay at home experts want to tell the government living with the responsibility of solving these issues how to do their jobs. If you can do abetter job then write a proposal with facts to back it up and submit it to the government for review.
That man get’s it! He understands.
What do I know about dredging river nothing, but magwe sa some thing should be done…WE…..come up with solutions as a government not blame the ones who is looking for answers, Skeritt is just one man and if I were in his place I would step down fix my damme roof and move on… we are too ungrateful and fail to learn that hurricane Erica and Maria was a warning from God and not revenge from Skeritt. We need God not Gold….Skeritt before you get more cheveux blancs relax by the road like a commoner and drink your damme kubuli beer pray and live your life in peace cause ungrateful people will never be satisfied …
“if I were in his place I would step down fix my damme roof and move on… ” Pleaseeeeee tell that Punjabe doctor to follow your advice and run out of Dca immediately. That would be the greatest New Year -2018- gift the people of Dca would get. So hurry and help Dr. Punj to pack and run before he changes his mind.
Assertive like Maria!
Oh wow…. You mean to tell me now Skerrit seeing this…..if this was part of his observations after Erika back in 2015, the calamity that occurred in Coulibistrie, Point Michel, Colihaut and ALL the other areas where rivers raging waters took lives and destroyed homes during Maria 2017, just may have been prevented.
the 18 million spent on demolishing and rebuilding a working bridge, could have been spent on dredging rivers, fixing undermined river walls and constructing new ones…. but was these things done NO!!!!…..He told Coulibistrie people ‘dredge the river yourself’…..
remember how hector begged him to dredge Coulibistrie river last year, urging him that hurricane season was approaching…..OKKKKKK
SKERRIT = NO VISION
Did notgoverment join 2 rivers@ melvinhall? Dont mess with nature dreging will not solve the problem build dykes
Skerrit you cant redirect a river it will always come back and take it course,also the more you dredge it ,creates more of a danger,you want long term solution,build proper retaining walls.
My God……… Bath Estate REALLY have malè wii boy….!
That’s taken an incredibly long time to come up with…. Degree (even if purchased) does not come with common sense
Definitely not value for money and making himself a laughing stock in the process.
As the above discussion continues please note that
In 2005 the United Nations designated the last Sunday of September as “WORLD RIVERS DAY”. This event has been observed in Dominica annually.
Secondly, the United Nations is calling for an International Decade (2018 to 2028) for Action: “WATER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT” will convene on 22 March 2018. The World Water Day, at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York.
Since Dominica is a member of the United Nations, we are obligated to the declarations of the U.N. Let the debate go on…..
Skeritt can dredge until he’s dead but will not help the bigger problem. There is to much in the island that has been neglected and continues to be neglected. Honestly, this administration has plateaued, it has reached the apex of it’s performance and can no longer or oversee the rebuilding and development of the island. Skeritt should just step aside.
Dredging is not the answer, please look further
Dredging the river is only a temporary fix, the only fix is placing great river walls in strategic location. For as we all know a successful dredge would have to be from the source all the way to the exit point, and that would be too costly!
Just how do you dredge the source?
One doubt that they are contemplating dredging the source or the head, or beginning of a river; because they usually commenced as a spring, of small amounts of water, even sometimes many combining feeder springs.
It is not a situation where millions of gallons of water poring out of one place out of the ground!
I wonder from where Roosevelt obtained this great piece of scientific advise that dredging the rivers will protect the life’s and property of people?
You know for hundreds of years, the Roseau River ran threw Roseau without threatening the people who lives on River Street. However, some smart idiot got the idea they must remove the rock stones out of the river, after they did that; all hell broke loose.
It flooded; water rise in the streets, and here is how high it rise: 35 A River Street belong to the late Wordsworth Telemaque, now belong to one of his daughters, if someone reading this want to know they can go and see how high is the veranda, the water went all the way up to the veranda.
Dredging the rivers is a bad idea, this is simply another way for some politician to make some personal financial gain!
I know the name of the politician (but, this kid here doh calling it eh)! I know but I doh talking eh!
The PM can drill as much as he wants; he can even drill every river we have in Dominica; he can look for jobs for all his regional friends and if they not enough he could go get Monfared from where he is to help him but I want to say to him that his efforts will change nothing! An evil leader gets evil results regardless of the depth of his pocket. Before Skerrit came on the scene Dominica was known to be a safe nation and our mountains and rivers were enough to protect us from floods. Since the man found a way to become PM, Dominica flooding in season and out of season. We flooding on Christmas day and yet no one takes note. In the days of Israel innocent people suffered and even died because of their ungodly leaders. In Joshua 6 many died because of the accursed thing and that did not stop until that sinful and accursed thing was removed. Skerrit has done much evil to good people, just because they have a different opinion. The cry of the people have made it to heaven and we paying
The common phrase in Dominica is, “who God bless is well bless.” But has anyone thought of the reverse? Dominica has had several Prime Ministers from PJ, OJ, to Mamo, to Eddo to Rosie, to Pierro and although they all made some mistakes we were a blessed country and the envy of the Caribbean. However, since Skerrit got in office is from one calamity after another to the point that he has had to relocate a village after 2015 and now Maria has put several more under scrutiny. Though very true and unfortunate this statement by PM tells us the level of fair his leadership has brought: “He gave the example of the Roseau River, saying that people who live on its banks cannot sleep at nights, “even when it is drizzling.” These people could sleep before but his curse is affecting the whole country. He is not blessed no matter what his prophets say. We know better the evidence speaks volume and as long as he is PM I am sorry for DA. He has no peace because he paying for his evil
All these sayings are so befitting of DLP supporters as if they were ‘made to measure’ for them!
It’s a regional firm. I guess and would not be surprised if that firm is not from Barbados again. I dear say if Skerrit had not cleverly destroyed Public Works and replaced them with his type of PW, they would be the ones drilling these rivers. It is a fact that Bajans get more jobs in Dominica than Dominicans that cannot do anything, except to vote him in. Hartley Henry has done a very good job in looking for jobs for his people while Dominicans have to go to the red clinic to pray for their next dollar. Skerrit has left us with no value as according to his actions, we no longer can build bridges, we can’t give him financial advise, we can’t print election t-shirt and manifesto, our police can’t protect us during and after a storm, we can,t build strong houses, can’t drill rivers can’t do anything and as a result he is forced to look to Barbados. Seems like his next move will be to bring Bajans to help get rid of black segatoca and run the DLP. But who used to them for us…
Good day,
Happy to hear about the river
And dont forget river estate cane field
It should also in clude with the river estate river its a must
The river need to dredged
I still think that the bridge for the new link road by the Lindo park, is too low. Why cant we change the shape of our bridges. What about arch bridges? I’m not an engineer but we need to change how we build bridges too. Look how high the barh Estste bridge.
That bridge has to be demolished…I don’t know why these smart engineers insist on building the bridges so low.
I have definitely come to the conclusion now that Skerrit does not know whether he is coming or going. Many people have suggested the dredging for years now. All of a sudden he picks the idea up and pretends he came up with it and reinvented the wheel. This man is a liability to our country now and we can not allow for this to continue.
Did he say it was his original idea? The man is just saying that they now have the equipment to do proper dredging of the rivers, so what is wrong with that.
Always defend SKERRIT FOOL HE IS NOT GOD AND WILL NOT BE PM FOR EVER,DOMINICA IS DOOMED,THIS MAN WENT ALL OVER CRYING,THEN HIS WIFE SHUTS DOWN STREETS IN ROSEAU TO ADVERTISE HALF NAKED WOMEN FOR A CARNIVAL THAT SHOULD NOT BE STAGED.DOMINICA WILL CONTINUE ON THIS DESTRUCTIVE PATH.WAKE UP.
I think its time that Dominica and Dominicans should understand that they shouldn’t disturb the ecological Pattern of the land . In the even that we do, then be prepared to suffer the consequences.once we pray for rain, let’s get ready to deal with the MUD
Let us be practical here bearing in mind the various constraints with the Roseau River – KFC and other businesses as well as Main farmers market on one side and other similar buildings on the other side. How much wider can the lower course of the river expand?
Why is there not a GOVT mandate that every year a few months before the hurricane season the rivers are dredged?
Also we need a mandatory financial line in every yearly GOVT budget approval by parliament for dredging of the rivers.
This reactive behavior by this GOVT with no forward planning is putting the lives of ALL Dominicans on island at risk over and over AGAIN.
Yes, the rivers that have sustained the country throughout the centuries are the issue.
This country has been finally killed by the labor government!
Please don’t forget checkhall please we had it thanks
Didn’t notice that they mentioned Coulisbistre either.
“descend on the rivers of Dominica.” interesting choice of words. Seems like fighting words. We seem to think we can control mother nature and keep her check but she will always return to re claim her natural course. We humans are the ones disrupting the natural balance of life cycle and then cry wolf when our actions reveals a negative reaction.
I will suggest using that dregged material to first build back beach front in places like newtown, La point, massacre and other areas where beach front has been eroded over the years. This will serve as coastal protection for some time.
I would be more drastic than that Zulu and demolish all the buildings on the shore side in these areas. They should not be there in the first place and I wonder if any insurance company would cover them anyway. You are asking for trouble putting buildings on the foreshore in these locations. The sea will eventually claim them, it is inevitable.
I understand what you saying but these people live there for years and you talking about whole communities. It is a constant struggle with mother nature no mater where you live in dominica. If what you say was applied islandwide then most communities would have to be demolished because they are either in river beds or landslide prone areas. Millions of tonnes of sand is in the drainage system and building coastal protection would be a good use. Yes it will not last forever but neither will any of us so in the mean time building coastal buffer is paramount. If not the sea is going to encroach further and many communities will be cut off. I am not sure there are beter road building options for many of these locations. I am already fed up with this government but offering up an idea i know is important.
Who is this regional firm? Not Gardakhan again, is it?
– I do not see Bath estate, or River estate mentioned here. Perhaps not enough “important” people live there?
Wouldn’t surprise me. Govt. would probably havetopledge them all the stone and sand they can recover,on top of their fee.
In its natural state, a river in its lower reaches does not get deeper, it gets wider.
Dredging and constraining, rather than widening, can cause more harm than good.
Let us be practical here bearing in mind the various constraints with the Roseau River – KFC and other businesses as well as Main farmers market on one side and other similar buildings on the other side. How much wider can the lower course of the river expand?
The problem is that we build on floodplains. The airfield at Melville Hall being a prime example.
Is that a novel idea PM? If you all had not disbanded the public works and had continue the annual dredging of the many rivers in the villages then Erica and Maria would not have caused so much destruction. The damages are highly placed in you all’s court for your stupidity and ASSISIM That is why the rivers caused so much damages. Allyou sought out to be cruel and it came back and bite the nation in the rear end causing more damage than the monies that allyou misappropriate.
not really the case. Many rivers were filled with landslides making them even more dangerous. There were places where little streams were transformed into rivers, even gutters overflowed and compromised infrastructure..but maybe i am wrong. I am not a geologist, or engineer.
That’s what I call a sensible reader and blogger. Unlike the one who make mention of public works like they could stop Hurricane Maria fo it do.
Exactly,
A prime example is Castle Comforrt.
Were they dredging there before?
Just reading your comments I remember the quote by the late Hon. Pierre Charles “SOME PEOPLE LOVE WEARING YOUR IGNORANCE AS A BARG OF HONOUR”.
It also reminds me of your friend Matt “ITS BETTER TO BE THOUGHT OF AS A FOOL AND OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT”.
It’s also reminds me of the great SHAKESPEARE “HE WHO KNOWS NOT, AND KNOWS NOT THAT HE KNOWS NOT IS A FOOL”.
And that’s very unfortunate that in this days and times we still have more ignoramus after LENNOX AND HECTOR.
But I am soooo happy we Dominicans can defrientiate a DOVE FROM SERPENT.
Sacway sot.
All these saying are indeed very befitting to the supporters of Skerrit and his DLP!