Monday, 11 February 2008

Fight them in the trenches

CairnsBlog readers are a loyal mob.

Not a day goes by where I don't get a half a dozen emails from people I've never met, and probably never will. Some reveal who they are, wanting confidence, others simply want their two bobs worth.

This photo arrived in this afternoon from Ben at Mt Sheridan, a regular comment poster here.

He and his girlfriend Cynthia, were dropping off their children at a friend's place in Redlynch today when they nearly skidding their car after a stunning sight on the Brinsmead – Kamerunga Road, just down from the Red Beret Hotel, near Redlynch.

Ben stopped and grabbed the photo on his camera phone, to share with you all. Thanks mate.

It's of the huge new apartment subdivision - yeah they even do sub-divisions of them now!

Following the overnight rain we had across town, and it wasn't that heavy like we've had in previous wet seasons, a large amount of sandbags have appeared along the street.

It appears that the standard street drainage system, installed and approved by Council, have not been designed to take the flow from even normal rainfall. What happens when there's a really biggie?

A call in to Council this afternoon, and no one would say if the sandbagging was done by staff. Or at least they didn't want to declare that they were involved in the World War 3 trenches programme.

Amazing. Here's a brand new sub-division, with the first tenants and owners just moving in, and the first wet with below average rainfalls, and the drains aren't coping.

I recall three weeks ago when the flooding occurred in Gordonvale - the Council faithfully announced that the "unseasonable flooding is hard to protect against."

A check with annual rainfall records at BOM, and there has been nothing at all unusual in terms of more rainfall this wet season.

What is different, is that since the last season wet, these developments have opened up and have their first lot of residents residing. This is the first season to 'test' how the drainage infrastructure is working. It clearly isn't.

It will be only a matter of time when residents will be sueing this Cairns City Council for negligence and substaincial damages.

The massive areas of land cleared near Gordonvale has also provided substantial less soft water table surface for absorption. This is the natural ability of the land to take the water.

You see, when you clear a massive chunk of land, throw a few thousand cubic tons of concrete down, the water needs to go somewhere.

This photograph is symbolic of a Council that does not understand prevention and planning. Nor, it appears, are they skilled at hydrology and the serious and unique infrastructure required for our tropical area as the urban footprint spreads.

When the wet seasons is more serious, either this year or next, we should expect more and more man-made disasters to roll out for us all to see.

You were warned.


Anonymous said...

And last night saw on the news False Cape Development the latest casualty of MFS. What Council wouldn't stop, lack of funds has. Again, it is the flow on effect, those workers who won't get paid, the stress it puts on Families.

Anonymous said...

I remember the weeks and weeks of torrential downfall we used to have when I was a kid. Seeing great lakes around the Westcourt/Manoora area and people rowing boats up streets. It will be REAL interesting to see what will happen with another
BIG WET".......