Dr. The Hon. William F. Duguid, J.P., M.P

Ministry of Transport Works and Maintenance

The Pine, St. Michael

May 6, 2019

Dear. Hon. Minister Duguid

Please accept this 2^nd letter only by email 

Dr. The Hon. William F. Duguid, J.P., M.P this is my second request to you seeking rectification, to an illegally built private road across, within, and along a watercourse channel. Both the preparations for and placing of this private road are wrongful and has clearly created flooding situations from 2003, It remains, posing a flood risk from heavy rainfall. Due to an obvious continuation of wilful negligence of Top Technical Officer, and the conspicuous traditional dilly dallying non responses from MTW (MTW&M), pertaining to this clear-cut case of contravening, “The Prevention Of Floods Act Cap 235”. To continuously favour a wealthy White British Expat while at the same time placing and keeping me a Black Barbadian of the blue-collar working class (now a pensioner) in an unfavourable risk of flooding harm. The circumstances of this illegally created flooding situations, and what followed, even though repeated many times to MTW/MTW&M, are outline below.

Some obvious facts, why the Clarke’s Road Residential Area, was not a flooding area before 2003, is attributed to exemplary behaviour by locals, and Town and Country planning Department. The competent Officers at planning made very wise decisions, that protected a vital part of this natural watercourse, from vehicular traffic with dead-end roads from the West, North, and South. The channel was deep enough for capacity and naturally sloped for fast run-off. It never overflowed from heavy rainfall, during the years 1978-2003 of my familiarity with this area, I reside here since 1982. Therefore no imminent or foreseeable flooding risk. There was never a vehicular through public or private road, from Appleby, Clarkes Road or Chapel Gap, to, across, within, over, or along the channel of this natural watercourse.

The clarity of the facts as to how Clarke’s Road Residential Area became a flooding area. showed in 2002, when a White British ex-pat, name Pat Brayshaw, commissioned the services of heavy equipment, that approached from Appleby, on the South, along an open lot of an absentee, and willfully altered, by leveling the channel defined banks from a very vital part, and cut a road across the watercourse, to her lot on the North. Months later, Pat Brayshaw commissioned further calculated altering, to the channel by building up a boulders wall out, within the channel, to the land mark middle, and backfilled. That process clearly narrowed the channel, block the original exit of that straight part of the channel, and favourably provided an increase of level land, along the channel to formed a yard-cum-private road, joined to the previously cut road across. Thereby, illegally created a private road across, within and along the watercourse Channel.

Hon. Minister, Even if, permission was given by a previous MTW, Minister to place a private road in that manner, it would still be wrongful, Furthermore, by allowing the said private road to stay in this watercourse channel, for almost 16 years after receiving complaints and pleas for remedying as to what happened in less that a year after the placing, of said road, is not only discriminatory, it is atrocious. The perpetrator’s actions were openly willfully done. Due to the fact, that the built up boulders wall within the channel, not only reduced fast run-off, it block and redirected flooding, it also formed the North channel bank to give that favourably protection to the perpetrator side of the channel, while the cut-out for the road across” from the South Channel bank was callously not replaced, That action clearly caused the first flooding situation that I have experience in my years of residing adjacent to this natural watercourse channel. Thereafter, yearly recurring floods leak from the cut-out South channel bank, the narrowed channel obstructs and redirect spread flooding over my property, caused erosion damage to my backyard, front-yard and made Clarke’s Road the new watercourse.

Hon. Minister, There is no need for me to repeat details here, how complaining to Drainage Unit Officers, turned out, except to note. The traditional dilly-dally of Officers lasted for over a year, until one honest Officer, told me that Drainage Unit is not equip to rectify the watercourse channel, He directed me to MTW, Deputy CTO. Philip Tudor. There is no need to repeatedly state Mr. Tudor’s and Mr. Thornhill’s actions. The facts will highlight their inaction.

Hon. Minister, The authority to execute flood work in 2003-4, resided with MTW, CTO. Mr. Thornhill, who had the authority and duty (up to his retirement) to execute, or authorized an Officer to execute flood works to remedy such flooding situation. Deputy CTO. Mr. Tudor who certainly would have acted as  MTW, CTO. during said dates, would have also held the authority, and duty of the “prevention of floods Act 235”. Still, both Top Technical Officers willfully neglected their legal duty and did not carry-out the necessary required remedying, to stop the wrongful redirecting of floods flow to my property, by doing such they certainly willfully discriminated against my household by allowing what caused the flooding situation to remained, and pose further flooding harm, during the rainy season, ranging from damage to property, to loss of life, God forbid.

While the said two Top Technical Officers prolonged their reckless inaction to cause the flooding. The broken and narrowed channel was severely altered and made worse to further disadvantage my household. Due to an obvious bias process, carried-out when laying pipes for BWA, by Arthur’s Construction. Mr. Arthur used bullying action, then purposely placed the pipes into a part of my backyard that was damage by flooding erosion due to the broken and narrowed channel redirecting spread flooding. Mr. Arthur clearly reposition the channel, into that part of my backyard and made it appear as the original channel, aiming at my home, and Clarke’s Road Residential Area. The MP for St. James Central, Hon Kerrie Symmonds hesitantly intervened  and only went as far as to set up a meeting at the watercourse site, with out his present, both Top Technical Officers or others Officers from MTW were unavailable for the meeting, that turned out to be an exercise in futility. Base on the fact that MTW is responsible for watercourses, also to rectify after BWA completed a task. Therefore, from 2008-2018 the Inactions to the risk prolonged, disregarding of the risk continued, and overlooking of further altering, when Mr. Clarke removed the channel banks from the road across the channel to upstream where the floods emerges, that area is now driveway, and garden.

Hon Minister, The clearly wilful disregard of my plight is obviously the preconceived notions of MTW, CTO Thornhill, and Deputy CTO Tudor, that a blue-collar working class Black Barbadian, can only complain. Those notions allowed for not only non responses from MTW, also willfully neglected duties, by said two Top Technical Officers, or Officers under their authority who evidently Complicit with Hon. George Hutson, DLP, MP for St. James Central, leading up to the 2013 General Election, and discriminatory maintenance, by tasking MTW work men, to paved the seemingly wealthy White British Ex-pat illegal private road, under the watchful eyes of Hon. George Hutson. Even though, the said two Top Technical Officers considered the said private road to be illegally placed. They did officially pledge to removed the boulders and restored the channel. Still, the said two Top Technical Officers concerted to aiding and abetting, or did not used their authority to stop it. Any which way the two Top Technical Officers grossly neglected their duties.

Whoever the beneficiaries are concerning the concerted complicity of discriminatory aiding and abetting a seemingly wealthy British ex-pat to wrongfully placed and retained a private road across, within, and along a natural watercourse channel. The cover-up have started, Deputy CTO. Tudor have gone as far as lying about his inactions to the illegally created flooding situations, in an email to me, copied to the Hon. Prime Minister. Mia Mottley, and Hon Minister Symmonds, MP for St. Janes Central.

Hon. Minister Duguid an urgent rectification to this illegally created flooding situation is needed.

Your faithfully

Alden Blackman

Resident of Clarke’s Road

St James