00:00At any point in time, this wall could collapse.
00:03We don't want the rainy season to come and these residents have to move out
00:08or they're sleeping on two o'clock in the morning.
00:10You just hear a crash and everybody is in the East Rye River.
00:14The cracks are on the wall, but the Port of Spain City Corporation
00:18and the residents of Jerningham View are hopeful that eventuality does not come to pass,
00:24particularly with the approaching rainy season.
00:27You can see even the cracks, probably like about two to three, four foot in.
00:34And literally when you sleep, as you said, the hypervigilance and the anxiety.
00:38When you get up, if you hear a sound, is it that the dirt has moved?
00:42I can see the blocks in the river.
00:44I monitor it every single day because you're not sure what the crack is actually going to become a reality
00:50and fall into the river.
00:51So we already know that there's a possibility that losing your home is one thing,
00:57losing your life is something else.
00:59The situation has been developing over the last two years
01:03and the Port of Spain City Corporation says the work had already been budgeted for,
01:09but then the government changed.
01:11From 19.7 million to 4.1 million thereabouts, I mean, that's a drastic cut.
01:18So we applied for the allocation and we were drastically cut.
01:23So therefore, in terms of being drastically cut, we are unable to address this urgent situation here.
01:31And that is why we are actually pleading on the Minister of Local Government and the Minister of Finance
01:36to give us the necessary, that it is the necessary allocation that it is we applied for in order to
01:44fix this situation.
01:46Councillor Bournes laments that another situation is also going unaddressed due to the shortfall in funding.
01:53As well as another emergency that it is we have happening at Belmont Circular Road,
01:58which is a collapsed underground drain, which is in between two schools on Belmont Circular Road.
02:03So this year we have applied for it, but we have received absolutely no funding for it.
02:08So we are pleading, I am pleading, the Port of Spain City Corporation is pleading
02:12with both the Minister of Local Government and the Minister of Finance to please release funding.
02:19Renasa Cutting, TV6 News.
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