And switching gears now… Discontent may be simmering between central and local governments after a letter from the mayor of Belize City to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development expressed concern over the dammed canal.
As we told you last month, the City Council is preparing for the hurricane season and this issue will only add to the flooding prone to the city.
The mayor had told us that he had written a letter to the ministry, but it seems he may have written another since this letter, dated June 4th, reiterates those same concerns.
It mentions that they are in the process of clearing the waterways and channels throughout the city, which includes the Haulover Creek, East/West Canal, Zietown Canal, South Creek Canal and Collet Canal, all of which fall under the Climate Vulnerability Reduction Program.
This program is supposed to help mitigate flooding, but it may have the opposite effect this hurricane season since the work is moving at a snail's pace.
Because of this, the council is now requesting the status of the project, since the Collet Canal remains dammed.
There is a build up of silt in the Haulover Creek that is affecting vessels that have to traverse it, and they are asking if the Ministry is working to alleviate this.
