The Drainage Board is dealing with a backlog of work to clear out silted waterways and blocked drainage systems.

During a news conference, Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka said this was one of the reasons for waterways in low-lying areas to experience a lot of flooding.

“As far as the Drainage Board is concerned, we’ve got a huge backlog of work that needs to be done,” said Mr Ditoka.

“I think that for them, there’s a mountain of work to do.

“When the water starts to recede, you will see the Drainage Board workers moving to areas that needs to be cleared and then they start moving all over the country to deal with other waterways over the next few months.

“I believe that’s going to be done shortly.”

Western Drainage Board chairperson Vinod Kumar said apart from rubbish being dumped into waterways and drainage systems, they were also dealing with green waste that were not being disposed properly.

“If you look at our rivers, a lot of farms are located near the riverbanks,” said Mr Kumar.

“So, you will see a lot of the green waste from these farms being dumped into the rivers instead of them being burnt.

“Apart from that you will also notice some farmers plant very close to the river and when it rains, the river levels increase destroying their crops. Some of them plant banana trees close to the water. All of these are swept downstream, and they cause blockages along the way especially at bridges, crossings and tramlines.

“We have to clear all of this, and it is a lot of work.”

Mr Kumar added contractors for the Drainage Board in the Western Division were on standby and would start working in low-lying areas when the weather clears.