Three main canals - Sussex Street, Laing Avenue and West Ruimveldt Front Road (North Sideline) - are to be linked as part of the second phase of the City Council's drainage programme that is targeting vulnerable areas.

According to a release from the Mayor and City Council yesterday, the connection between the Laing Avenue and West Ruimveldt Front Road canals will be done through the creation of a new waterway on the western periphery of the East Ruimveldt Market.

The objective, the release stated, is to allow the canals to be drained by the mechanical pump at Riverview outfall. At present the canals are flowing sluggishly all the way to the Liliendaal pump, the release added.

It is expected that at the end of the operation the canals would have a shorter run to the Laing Avenue outfall and Riverview, which is fitted with one of the five pumps obtained by the council from the Civil Defence Commission under the El Nino Project.

The municipality is also finalising arrangements to desilt all the street drains and alleyways in the Albouystown community.

In addition, the council is moving to clear the main canals in North Road, Church Street, Irving Street, Lamaha Street and South Road. And drainage works in the Bourda area between Orange Walk and New Garden Street will be accelerated, the release said.

Meanwhile, the City Council stated that over the last four months it spent about $75 million on drainage works in McDoom and Agricola on the East Bank Demerara; and in Central Georgetown, North East La Penitence and East La Penitence; Lodge and Lodge Housing Scheme; Stevedore Housing Scheme and North and South Cummingsburg.

Again the council has lamented that despite a public awareness programme and community meetings to spur civic initiative in managing and preserving the works that were done, citizens are continuing to use the waterways as refuse receptacles.

The council is appealing to all concerned and decent citizens to persuade those who are engaged in this practice to desist

The release noted too that the council has more than 300 cases against litter-bugs in the courts, but the sloth in the judicial system is posing a problem.