(Kaieteur News) – A veteran control systems engineer, Patrice Roberts, has re-presented a proposal to automate the city’s aging koker system, warning that Georgetown’s ongoing development boom is dangerously outpacing its drainage capacity. The presentation, delivered to municipal leaders on Monday, revived a concept previously sidelined by officials. Mayor Alfred Mentore acknowledged the history of the submission, noting it was “this thing that was presented a number of years ago” but ultimately left unacted upon. Roberts explained his return to City Hall, stating, “I was here a few years ago where I did a presentation which, at that time, didn’t apparently seem fitting.”

Drawing on over 30 years’ experience in control systems, Roberts argued that modern urban expansion has systematically dismantled the city’s natural defenses. “As we all know, historically, Georgetown was basically a plantation back in the day, and there were lots of drainage and irrigation canals,” he noted. He explained that while those canals served as critical catchment areas for rainfall whenever there was high-intensity excess, they were progressively removed as the city developed. “The avenues, as we know them, Waterloo, Carmichael, Camp Street, and Thomas Street, the avenues were all canals which held water,” Roberts reminded the council.

The loss of these historical waterways has created severe storage issues during intense downpours. Roberts emphasized that “once those were removed, the water didn’t suddenly disappear,” meaning it must now be stored somewhere else whenever there is intense rainfall. He criticized the lack of foresight in the city’s growth, stating, “I don’t think much consideration was given to us as we continued to expand the city.” He pointed specifically to modern building practices, observing that “you see many developments happening now with where persons’ are paving their yard and allowing the water to go on the road,” which ultimately forces immediate runoff into a severely strained municipal network. He warned, “So the situation which we have built, unless we manage it, it will not get better.”