Divali persists despite flood clean-up in Rousillac

Little Terrance, centre, helps Nickolas and Sally prepare deyas on split bamboo at their Mon Desir home in Rousillac on October 20. - Photo by Innis Francis

DESPITE being inundated amid torrential isolated showers on the evening before Divali, affected residents in Rousillac were determined to clean up and celebrate the festival of lights on October 20.

The passage of a tropical wave over the weekend saw the country placed under a yellow-level adverse weather alert by the TT Meteorological Service. Over a dozen communities across Central Trinidad were flooded from the resulting showers, and Rousillac was one of the few places in the south west which was similarly affected.

Challiram Jodhan, 64, washes off settled water and debris from his Grant's Road, Rousillac home on October 20. - Photo by Innis Francis

Among those affected was Challiram Jodhan, 64 who just 24 hours before, spent almost an entire day readying his home for Mother Lakshmi's arrival to bless his home on Divali night. Around 5 pm, he said waters began to rise around his Grant Trace home which lies between two elevated pieces of land.

"I couldn't do nothing," he lamented to Newsday as he tried to wash dirt out of his yard on Divali morning.

"Saturday I clean up right round. I say today I go relax my self... Pressure here today."

While he lives on the second storey with his wife and two daughters, water entered into his storage room and soaked some appliances. Under the house, water filled the foundation which he tried to bail with a bucket.

At the junction of Grant Trace and the Southern Main Road, Nike Goomansingh was washing down her yard with a hose. Fortunately, she said the while water had come up in her front yard, it did not enter into her house.

Challiram Jodhan, 64, bails out water that settled under his home after heavy showers at Grant's Road, Rouscillac on October 20. - Photo by Innis Francis

Though counting her blessings, she said she was especially disappointed to have to clean once again after she spent a lot of money to hire help to prepare around her home for Divali.

Water rose along the Southern Main Road around 5 pm, becoming impassable to smaller vehicles.

Her husband Cecil, 81, believes the issue is the drain which runs from Grant Trace to the one along the main road, meeting at too steep an angle.

"The drain coming down, is not a natural turn. It hits the wall by the road and backs up. It have to turn to go that way so if they make a natural turn the water wouldn't backup."

He said recent housing developments in Grant Trace had led to more water coming downhill in their direction.

Similarly, one elderly man in Dow Village, who did not want to be identified, showed Newsday damage to his mandir (outdoor prayer room) from the waters which reached about two feet high on the evening of October 19. He blamed the drain running alongside his home.

He said the channel which ran under the Southern Main Road was too narrow to accommodate the volume of water. He said the previous day's flooding was further worsened by a barrel which washed down and blocked the outlet.

Preparing bent bamboo arches to hold deyas in front of his Mon Desir Road home with his wife and son, Nickolas, was also counting his blessings as water narrowly missed their house, though it rose under their back shed.

While sunny skies facilitated clean-up, the adverse weather was expected to persist with the adverse weather alert remaining in effect until 10 pm on October 20. Despite the looming threat, the affected families said they would still be lighting their deyas.

Jodhan's wife, Vashti, told Newsday should the rains return, they would light their deyas on a bannister under their house.

Nika Goomansingh washes off debris from her Rouscillac home on October 20. - Photo by Innis Francis

Otaheite/Rousillac councillor Javed Mohammed said floods were reported in Grant Trace, Dow Village and Mon Desir and was primarily street flooding. He said about a dozen homes were affected, the majority of which only saw water in their yards.

"Our disaster management unit (DMU) mobilised upon getting the reports from the Siparia Borough Corporation and we are out on the field right now, meeting with residents, conducting the assessments to ascertain how severe it was."

He said the DMU had been assisting with clean-up and distributing cleaning supplies to those affected. He said there were also some reports of flooding in Palo Seco and Cedros which the DMU had not yet assessed at the time of the interview.