River dredging program successful says PM Skerrit

The Checkhall River during the passing of Isaac

Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has said a river dredging program started after Hurricane Maria has proven to be successful.

He said the programme has managed the flow of water during the passage of Tropical Storm Isaac last week and stated it will continue until the end of the year.

“We got some rains but those rains were contained and luckily for us too, we had done a lot of dredging of the rivers after the hurricane,” he stated after Isaac had passed. “We continue to do so and will continue to do until December of this year throughout the hurricane season.”

He said because of the programme, flooding was contained in many parts of the island during the passage of Isaac.

“We recognize that with the dredging program we have instituted that has helped in managing the flow of water,” the Prime Minister stated. “We saw the flow of water in Checkhall, in Massacre, in the Roseau River and if the dredging wasn’t done, certainly we would have seen some flooding take place in those parts.”

He stated that the government recognizes “the importance of continuing to eradicating hazards in our communities and in our society.”

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20 Comments

  1. Maria
    September 19, 2018

    The dredging of the rivers was necessary, as to whether it was a success the jury is still out because the rains of Isaac were insufficient to judge the effectiveness of the work done. with Erika and Maria volume of rain, the loose boulders on the river banks would be a different story.
    There are other issues related to the manner in which the dredging was done with the importation of dump trucks and heavy equipment from a foreign company. It would have made more economic sense for the government to purchase the trucks and equipment, place them under the management of Public Works and if necessary bring in drivers and operators from the other islands. At the end of the exercise Dominica would have a full compliment of equipment and trained operators future climatic events. Then we could boast of the success of the river dredging. This is Resilience not the survival from a few showers of rain. Praise God Florence did not pass our way.

  2. Channel 1
    September 18, 2018

    Duuuhhhhh Roosevelt. After Tropical Storm Erica in 2015, the ordinary wise men and women on the street were calling for the rivers to be properly dredged.

    True to form, your extremely backward government waited until after Maria (almost 2 years post-Erica) to then implement a comprehensive river dredging program. What else you expected nuh following the river dredging?

    Now imagine if y’all fellas had seen it fit to dredge those rivers within the 2 year interval between Tropical Storm Erica and Hurricane Maria. Many residents in the villages hardest hit by river flooding will tell you that a lot of the debris that the rivers brought down during Hurricane Maria were leftover deposits from Tropical Storm Erica.

    Roosevelt, here’s another thing that will be successful: The faster your government gets out of office, the greater the chance of Dominica returning to some level of success.

    • BEB.
      September 19, 2018

      Will u be voting urself in?

  3. Xte
    September 18, 2018

    totally concur. It’s rather shameful and quite honestly disrespectful to the interlectual persons who prefer to remain non-partisan, to have to listen to these politicians run their gimmicks at every opportunity they get. It’s quite disgusting.

  4. sisserou
    September 17, 2018

    He stated that the government recognizes “the importance of continuing to eradicating hazards in our communities and in our society.” Time to eradicate the traffic hazard on the Salisbury highway. Hope it will be fix before the WCMF. :mrgreen:

  5. September 17, 2018

    In its natural state, a river broadens, rather than deepens, in its lower reaches. Deepening increases flow and this can be detrimental in terms of bank erosion. With a river in full force boulders placed along the banks can become cannon balls to the detriment of mid-stream bridge piers.

    • Liz M
      September 18, 2018

      Any suggestions for a better solution that would help these rivers?

      • September 18, 2018

        Avoid building on flood plains and build single span bridges thus eliminating vulnerable mid-stream piers. Beyond that, take care not to destabilize nature’s own drainage safeguards when clearing land for development.

        Nature doesn’t like being messed about with. Sooner or later she will always get her own back!

  6. bringback all the kidnapped parrots from Germany
    September 17, 2018

    Ok to dredge but what about all the soil erosion. A way must be developed to stop all the top soil from being washed away down to the ocean.

  7. Tony
    September 17, 2018

    Hello and good afternoon my people. We should give thanks that the Rivers didn’t spill over and cause property damage or lost of life. Now an coming home for the WCMF and Independence and hoping everything will be safe. Am hoping to hike the path my grandfather took from our East coast village to Roseau.

  8. Sams
    September 17, 2018

    Thanks pm but a little more can be done in checkhall valley with the river but I appreciate the little thanks

  9. NatureIsle
    September 17, 2018

    Talk about singing for you supper… Please! So much baseless talk from jj.
    i totally agree with % -providentially we were not impacted in any serious way by the rainfall from isaac (thankfully) so therefore the dredging program while it is helpful cannot be fully viewed as a success at this stage. Case in point is at the geneva grandbay bridge where inspite of the dredging works, and relatively little rainfall from isaac the bridge structure was still significantly compromised…
    We need a lot less talk & ‘hot air’ in dominica and more action & competence!
    *let us really pray that we are not seriously tested in the near future…
    We really need better leadership & vision in dominica!

  10. Joseph John
    September 17, 2018

    Great job Skerrit. Safety and protection of the people form a great part of your party’s priority policies. When one reflects on the ravagies of Erica and Maria , the situation in Puerto Rico after a whole year. Then see the water damage in Carolina with Florence . If it was not for the work done on the rivers, Isaac would have swept a lot of people into the sea.
    There is still a lot of work to be done in Dominica’s reconstruction effort, but we are on the right tract and we will get there inspite of the many challenges.
    When you see the problem that still exist in Rockport and Houston Tx after Harvey ( a little more than a year ago) We have to say good job Dominica and HATS OFF TO SKERITT. We need to shake both of his hands. Our HERO in the crowd, our true leader.

  11. %
    September 17, 2018

    Skerrit, the river dredging programme has not been tested,since the tropical storm did not hit us in any serious way. Stop fooling the people,with you cheap unfounded hot air …
    Skerrit Must Go
    Skerrit Must Go
    Lazy Skerrit Must Go Now

    • Liz M
      September 17, 2018

      I will encourage you % and Francisco to keep your shirts on! You both oppose everything he says for opposing sake, with weak substance, lacking alternatives and suggestions. We need to further encourage the gov’t to continue the dredging program, and annually. It is a good thing. I see much of it on-going, and the man is right it was tested.
      If you want the man out more badly dan de rest of us, change strategy to beat him at the polls otherwise he en going no where, and not soon.

      • Joseph John
        September 17, 2018

        The day after the next election it will be crying time again. Blue tears will be cascading down those hard hearted no face . The red nation 21 to 0 is going to be heard to take.

    • Expat
      September 17, 2018

      It looks like someone really needs some tissue.

      • Joseph John
        September 18, 2018

        Not only tissue, they will need a whole paper factory. The dredging alone may not control the blue tears that will be cause by lost deposits.

    • September 17, 2018

      Stop playing politics and behave yourself and learn to appreciate.

    • RastarMarn
      September 17, 2018

      Garcan whoever you are % I agree wiff you yeh,,,

      Mista Skerro coming and giving report, every report is based on some form of statistical analysis and some from of comparison where numbers are involve,,,

      So Skerrit need to go back to his Minions and ask them this,,,

      “Did the dredging mitigate the quantity of water that would cause the river to overflow its banks if we were to receive that same amounts of rainfall which caused the devastations in the past”,,,

      Based on the Picture in reporting a little more rain, that river in the picture would overflow its banks wi,,,

      Show people the Numbers Skerrit!!!

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