Kwakwani flood waters recede by about two feet
A section of Lamp Island that is still under water
A section of Lamp Island that is still under water

RESIDENTS of the flood-affected areas of the Upper Berbice community of Kwakwani reported on Sunday that the water has receded by about two feet.

But the roads in the Lamp Island area are still impassable, and the barge used to transport vehicles over the river is still unable to work.

Councillor of the Kwakwani Neighbourhood Democratic Council, Cort Simeon, told the Guyana Chronicle that if there is no heavy rain by today, the barge will be able to function. He said he hopes that that happens, since the trucks transporting food and other supplies would need to cross the river to restock retail shops.

The access roads will also dry up nicely within two days, if there is no heavy rainfall, he said.

Presently, about 300 residences in the Kwakwani and Lamp Island areas are inundated. Regional Vice-Chairman Elroy Adolph said that the water began to rise since last week.
And while flooding is a yearly occurrence in Kwakwani during the rainy season, this year, however, the rains came later than expected.

Heavy rainfall is also occurring in most parts of the country during this time of year, even though August is normally regarded as a dry month.

During last week, those areas closer to the river were under about six feet of water, while most of the other locations were under about three. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) was notified on Thursday about the situation, and on Friday, Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) health officials visited Kwakwani to assess the impact the flood is having on residents.

Due to the annual inundation at this time of year, some Kwakwani residents have sought refuge in an unregulated area close to the Upper Berbice River, and while several efforts were made to relocate them, many explained that it would be challenging to do so, because they would have already built a life there.

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