Work Starts ‘Soon’ on Dredging Yabra Canal

When last we left the situation of the Collet Canal, specifically the tributary that empties into the Caribbean Sea, the Belize City Council was beginning the process of draining out the massively heavy silt that has built up for many years in the area. But work just as quickly stopped. Today, the council’s finance director said work is about to begin to complete the job of restoring the ‘Yabra Canal,’ as it is known, to full flow.

Marilyn Ordonez, Director of Finance, Belize City Council

“There is a project that is about to begin to look at drainage in Belize City, and there will be work in the Collet Canal, where they will be doing a pumping station to assist in keeping the water levels in the canal low, so that when it rains, the streets can still drain into them.”

Marilyn Ordonez

Aaron Humes

“I was about to bring up the issue of the Yabra Canal and the very heavy silt at the entrance.”

Marilyn Ordonez

“At the present you can see what happens when we have – because those silt, they are coming from along the river mouth – the Belize Old River, it comes along the seafront. And depends on the current, it brings – I don’t know if you remember how the Haulover Creek mouth was filthy and we had to dredge it just recently. So that silt has come all the way – it will filter into those canals whenever there is a slow-moving current, it will settle. This project will dredge that canal, line that canal, and the pumping station will be put there. So you will be seeing work starting to dredge the canal to the point where they can keep it with a minimum level of water at any point of time to take care of the rainy season or flooding.”