Yarborough Pumping Station Official Opens

This morning in Belize City, a new pump station was inaugurated by the Government of Belize and the Belize City Council.  The facility will serve to mitigate flooding in the downtown area.  The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing and its team of engineers have been working diligently to complete the multimillion dollar project and today it was officially opened.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Flooding in downtown Belize City is an issue that occurs annually.  To address that problem an eleven million dollar pumping station has been built in Belize City in the Yarborough area.  The project falls within the Inter-American Development Bank’s Climate Vulnerability Reduction Program.  The site was officially inaugurated earlier today by officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing, as well as the Belize City Council.

Bernard Wagner

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor

“This Yarborough Pumping Station being inaugurated today represents a critical milestone in this journey towards resilience.  This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with the capacity to discharge an impressive two hundred and seventy cubic meters of water per minute, serving as a powerful sentinel against flooding.  And I saw it in operation a couple weeks ago and it was a marvel to see.  This project is not merely about infrastructure though, it‘s about safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of our residents, preserving our heritage and sustaining our economic progress.  It‘s a testament to the dedication of countless individuals and the collaboration between various agencies and various stakeholders.  We have to acknowledge the contributions of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development & Housing, under Minister Espat.  We have to acknowledge the Inter-American Development Bank and I also have to, at home, acknowledge the Belize City Council who will eventually ultimately serve as the caretaker of this modern system that will benefit our beloved Belize City.”

Two years ago, around this time, Belize City was inundated after it received four inches of rainfall.  A study carried out by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center in 2015, indicated that there was an increase in the intensity and variability of rainfall in the final months of the year.  According to Minister Julius Espat, the Yarborough Pumping Station is a climate resilient project.

Julius Espat

Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing

“The inauguration of the pump station here in Yarborough, this is indeed a mega project and also the backbone of a loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank.  This is a climate resilient project and it shall continue to see the reduction of flooding in downtown Belize City.  I will say it again, climate resilient project.  I know the gentlemen and ladies from IDB, that‘s a very special phrase and for us, that we weren‘t aware of it, that it has become something special for us, too.  It is a technical term, but in reality it is something that we face everyday.  We are a low-lying country and Belize City, if most of you don‘t remember, is below sea-level, not above sea-level, so even here, it becomes even more important.”

Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde outlines the ability of this new pump system to alleviate the perennial issue of flooding by speaking to the works that have been done that led to the completion of the project.

Cordel Hyde

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“The project has the potential to literally save life and limb and property.  They say it‘s to public and private infrastructure in tourism and residential areas of Belize City and that has included so far shoreline stabilization measures on the public tourism spaces of Caye Caulker and Goff‘s Caye.  Works were carried out on Orange Street, demolishing and or rehabilitating deteriorating concrete line drains and flushing of rainwater to the Collet and East Canal for proper drainage.  The works also entailed the cleaning and rehabilitation of drains in King Street, Dean Street, Euphrates Avenue and West and George streets and a few others.  Dredging was also performed in Collet Canal and West and East canals and a section of Kut Avenue was lined up to Caesar Ridge Bridge with three main sluice gates on these aforementioned canals to lock when needed, especially during a storm event.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.