Thursday January 16, 2020
Kaieteur News
PAGE 21
Norton St. Lodge residents welcome drain-cleaning exercise
The cleaning of drains in Norton Street, Lodge
R
esidents of Norton Street, Lodge, in Georgetown are welcoming the drain-cleaning exercise that is being facilitated by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure in collaboration with the Ministry of Communities, to alleviate the issue of
flooding in the community after heavy downpours. According to reports the cleaning of the drains in the community reportedly commenced yesterday around 07:30hrs. Kaieteur News understands that the drain cleaning exercise started after resident lodge
complaints to the relevant authorities about, smelly and germs infected water rising to an uncomfortable level in the community draining systems. The raising of the water level is a result of the heavy downpour that occurred last Sunday night and well into Tuesday morning.
Iran rejects idea of a new 'Trump deal' in nuclear row DUBAI (Reuters) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed yesterday a proposal for a new “Trump deal” aimed at resolving a nuclear row, saying it was a “strange” offer and criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump for always breaking promises. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has praised Trump as a great dealmaker, called on Tuesday for the president to replace Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers with his own new pact to ensure Tehran does not get an atomic weapon. Trump said he agreed with Johnson that a “Trump deal” should replace the Iran nuclear deal. In a televised speech, Rouhani told Washington to return to the nuclear pact, which Washington abandoned in 2018, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear work in return for the lifting of international sanctions on Iran. Since quitting the agreement, Washington has reimposed sanctions to throttle Iran's oil exports as part of a “maximum pressure” policy. The United States says its aim is force Tehran to agree a broader deal that puts stricter limits on its nuclear work,
curbs its ballistic missile program and ends its regional proxy wars. Iran says it will not negotiate as long as sanctions remain in place. Tehran has gradually taken steps to reduce its compliance with the deal, which prompted Britain, France and Germany to formally accuse it on Tuesday of violating the terms. “This Mr. Prime Minister in London, I don't know how he thinks. He says let's put aside the nuclear deal and put the Trump plan in action,” Rouhani said. “If you take the wrong step, it will be to your detriment. Pick the right path. The right path is to return to the nuclear deal.” Iran denies any intent to acquire nuclear weapons and says its breaches of the deal would be reversed if Washington lifts sanctions. “All of our activities are under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” said Rouhani. “NOT DEAD” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Reuters that the deal was still alive: “No, it's not dead. It's not dead,” Zarif said on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi.
But he told the conference Trump's withdrawal from the earlier deal made new negotiations with Washington pointless: “I had a U.S. deal and the U.S. broke it. If I have a Trump deal, how long will it last?” In its biggest step away from the agreement yet, Iran announced on Jan. 5 it would abandon all limitations on enriching uranium set down in the pact. Britain, France and Germany reacted by activating a dispute mechanism in the deal on Tuesday, which eventually could lead to the reimposing of U.N. sanctions. Iran called this step a “strategic mistake”. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Washington now expects the U.N. sanctions to “snap back into place” as a result of the European move. The European countries have said that is not their goal. Rouhani upbraided European powers for not standing up to Trump. Iran says the Europeans have reneged on promises to find ways to circumvent the U.S. sanctions. The flare-up in nuclear diplomacy comes as military confrontation between Washington and Tehran has also reached a new peak.
In its quest to bring relieved to the affected persons two excavators and f o u r s an d tr u ck w er e deployed in Norton Street to clear the drains and sand filled the swamped areas. When Kaieteur News visited the affected area yesterday morning, persons were anxious to get their issues heard about how the water level and stench of the water is affecting them.
Residents blamed the issue on poor drainage systems in the community that would usually get clogged with weeds and plastic bags. One resident, Shelly Wills, stated that she has been living in the community for the past 10 years and the only time she is uncomfortable is when the rainy season commences. “The drains and gutters
in the community at times would get clogged with plastic bags and weeds. When the drains are clogged the water has nowhere to go when the rain falls so it overflows from the drains and into residents' yards.” When contacted a source from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure stated that the drain-cleaning exercise is scheduled to be completed in a matter of three days.