BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TODAY (Oct. 16), crews from the Public Works Department (PWD) and St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services (SKNFRS) were busy cleaning up and removing piles of dirt and debris from a number of thoroughfares in the city, deposited during the passage of Tropical Storm Rafael.
Between Friday evening (Oct. 12) and yesterday evening, more than 12 inches of rainfall was dumped across St. Kitts, which led to heavily-flowing watercourses. The waters which flowed along these watercourses carried with them a myriad of debris that found its resting place along the length of College Street Ghaut and along the portion of the Bay Road between College Street and Westbourne Ghauts.
Since yesterday, workers from both the PWD and the SKNFRS were hard at work in their attempt to return the streets to a state of normalcy.
With the layer of dirt, mud and debris which covered the Bay Road being inches-high, the PWD, with the use of backhoes and shovels, scraped away the layer of deposit with which they created piles for easy removal by heavy-duty trucks.
Providing an update on the PWD’s progress in clearing the streets, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Utilities Lenrick Lake explained that the job is “progressing smoothly” and he predicted that within two days from the time of commencement, the task should be completed.
With majority of the mud and debris being cleared by the PWD, the SKNFRS officers took to action washing down the areas. Armed with their hoses and a portable pump, the 13-man crew used water from the sea to blast away the muddy remnants.
Fire Chief Hesketh Rawlins told SKNVibes that this is a service that the SKNFRS provides after every heavy rainfall
“The PWD would clean up the heavy debris and the light part that is left that could turn to dust (when the place gets dry), we would use sea water to clean it up. We are cleaning the Bay Road between College Street Ghaut and Westbourn Ghaut and further eastwards.”
When SKNVibes visited the scene, it was shortly after 2:00 p.m. and, according to Rawlins, his crew had been there for approximately four hours and the massive job - which takes a tremendous amount of resources - had not yet been completed.
He said it is a necessary service because not only is the aesthetic value of the area restored, but it reduces the health hazards, especially for individuals who suffer from respiratory illnesses.
PS Lake has indicated that when the crews are finished with the Bay Road and College Street Ghaut areas, they would be dispatched to others which include Gillard Meadows, Buckley’s and the portion of the Bay Road that lies in the vicinity of the Fisheries Complex.
