Stinking Canals Cause Mayor to Ask: When Will Project End?

Bernard Wagner

The hurricane season is upon us, and as we have reported, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing are currently working to see to it that Belize City residents experience relief from annual flooding due to heavy rainfall.  The works include the upgrades of the East and West Collet canals, as well the drainage system on some of the main streets that connects to the canals. But, the project, which began in 2017, has been drawn out and downtown residents are complaining about the foul stench coming from the canals. Mayor Bernard Wagner says he has written to the ministry asking for a timeline for the completion of the project.

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor

“As you may know, the CVRP, the Climate Vulnerability Reduction program has been an ongoing program. It started in 2017, prior to the 2018 elections, and it involve different components. It focusses on Orange Street, Dean Street, and King Street, because those were some of the hot spots in respect to flooding. It looked at how they can do a redesign of drains in the area so that they are connected. The drains supposed to be able to connect to canals and canals of the river. And when flooding does occur, those sluice bridges that you see being constructed right now will automatically be put on and then the pumping station begin to pump the water out of the city. As it is right now, the construction of those sluice bridges requires the damming of portions of the canal. We have since written a letter to the Ministry of Infrastructure to ask them how long this process will be, because we understand the implications of those canals being dammed. And when flooding starts to occur and rains begin to come later June, July, we don’t want to see that type of flooding.”