Flood Mitigation

I recently saw an advertisement [request for tender] in the newspaper for flood mitigation proposals. [It's a wonder that they finally acknowledged this as an actual issue.]

Ironically, a few days later, I noticed an article on NewScientistTech entitled: Intelligent sensors watch for impending floods. Essentially, the article is about a "grid" of smart river sensors that monitor water depth and flow to predict impending flooding; this is to be installed in a UK river.

This is just one cabin of the ubiquitous computing bandwagon that Trinidad should be jumping on in order to advance to a first world society status. Of course they will never find the justification for such projects. Honestly, I believe we have the ambition - the ideas - the thoughts - but what this country lacks it the need to act on these ideas in a timely fashion. I see the government proposing a lot of new projects [fastforward], but these projects take years to be completed, some are never even initiated - but the ideas are there.

First of all, before we even think of implementing a technological solution such as this "smart river", the first logical solution would be to clean up the drains/rivers, start recycling our garbage, and enforce litter laws - hell! You get charged in New York City for allowing your dog to take a dump on the street [Law 1; Law 2; Law 3]!