The Editor
The
New Century House
Stadium Road
Wednesday the 19th of September 2007
Sir
When I read in
your Friday 14 September 2007 paper “Floods threaten Inverness” - fifty years
ago – the problems by the river Nairn flooding on several occasions causing
damage to buildings – and, ten years ago the Council responsible for the
Inverness emergency services put on red alert of the threat of the River Ness
high tides flooding, such events were unknown to me at the time the following comment
in print came out “Continuous flooding in the City angers 79-year-old resident”(a)
which appeared months past due to the source of it being my responsibility.
I then wondered if
the complacent town dwellers would be whispering among themselves – silly old
fool, the like crying wolf, countermanding a sleight on themselves for
ineptitude or indifference on their part.
Then, within a second, I thought that that was not so, as proven by the enclosed fourteen letters’ pages
of the long battling that I’ve had with the Highland Council on the matter to
little effect coming from it. I’ve
perhaps like those surmised surreal folk; resolved – what’s the point of trying
to hand fist in a hole - into a fortified thick stone wall.
I draw your attention
to the photograph,(b) sent you by e-mail, of the street drain with vegetation
growing out of it in Montague Row pointing out that in Inverness one will be
hard pressed to find a street drain that is not something like it, and, can you
name a day when it was that the powerful Bathgate, Glasgow drain suction truck(d)
was not just seen passing through but working in our streets,
preventing gully gutter flooding(c) that appears all too frequently throughout
Inverness.
1. I’m told that
I still have
feelings for those who suffered great loss caused by the dreadful Katrina
flooding, nearer, but not to such a great dreaded ruinous extend done by the different
type of flooding in England, and closer still, the strength of the kind of flooding
that befell Dingwall, being fortunate of living in Inverness not having felt
the wrath of such awful disasters. Much
has been spoken about the dearth of preventive measures taken that would have
avoided or minimised the tragic destruction that has happened in each case.
With regards 1
above, it does not seem right that the maintenance of the street drains of
Inverness must be carried out by
I think it time,
it only right and proper that the Highland Council inform openly and honestly,
even through you, what it has put in hand, if it has, the plans for keeping its
street drains clean and free flowing of rain water, end the ponding, pooling of
its pavement gully gutters to keep our minds at rest of what the recent survey
prediction that both the Cromarty Firth and Moray Firth at Inverness are marked
for early flooding in the event of intensive climate change, but most certainly
not in the same manner as if it is addressing a silly-old-fool, simpleton,
octogenarian.
the 14 letters to the Council noted in the 2nd paragraph in the letter above sent to the Inverness Courier are not here included
(b)
*****(c)
******(d)
A missed opportunity for a “Grand Plats de la Inverness” in its place.
Added Tuesday the 6th of November 2007
On Sunday the 4th of November 2007 at first light, that is to say, here at 7.30am, a Trans-Serv street drain clearing truck, not as large as the Glasgow vehicle, came from Beauly several miles away in the Highlands with a driver and his mate as sole occupants who started clearing the drain in Montague Row heading onto the Tamahurich Street/Glenurquhart Road, employing a seven feet long two inch thick steel plunging rod, seemingly to obtain facility for the suction pipe to enter – hurtful I thought to the well constructed ancient drain.
Tamnahurich Street is 300 yards long, plus a few more inches, which has five drains on each side of the street facing each other. These drains are made of heavy solid iron, 16x13 inches in size grids, with eight open slots for the flow of rain water constructed two centuries ago in Victorian times in keeping with the General Wade road construction, and picturesque house buildings, fine Churches, Bridges, a Canal and a Cathedral.
Today I enquired at the Town House how many drain were cleared, and I was told that they did not know, and that I should direct my enquiries at Trans-Serv.
Well now. What sort of caper is that? A City the size of Inverness that is not responsible for the clearing of its own street drains beggar’s belief, to say the least. . I’m speechless.
What’s he on about, he’s got a drain cleared, what’s his worry!
It’s an insult to Victorian good values, industrial wealth, and value for money – not squandering caprice vagary - that’s what he’s on about.
It was a bit of excitement for the kids of half a century ago to watch that their streets were being watered down, and the muck, mire, slime and sludge, suctioned out of them, leaving the street a pleasure to walk down.
I suggest that what is required is for Tamnahurich Street to be cleared of parking cars, that the total of the seventeen drains be tackled-cleared at one headlong swoop, and that the gullies along the length of the street be resurfaced to avoid - pooling, flooding, ponding, or any other word for it from the PC world has for it be found - as an example for future practice, but this time, with a gaffer to oversee good workmanship is carried out.
The photo was taken around 10am four days after the opening of the Eden Court Theatre.
Note the "ponding", which I'll write about when doing so about the opening of the theatre.
Kings Jazz Review
Friday the 12th of October 2007