I wish to respond to a letter titled “What preparations for May-June Rains?” as was published in the June 9, 2009 Edition of the Guyana Times to highlight some misinformation which was propagated in the letter published.

Despite numerous efforts by the government some citizens either deliberately or conveniently neglect to realise that the Mayor and City Council is responsible for the drainage of Georgetown and not the Ministry of Agriculture as alluded to in the letter captioned above.

For 20 years I have been operating my business in Regent Street and I have visited both Offices and was apprised of their responsibility. Even though the Ministry of Agriculture is not mandated to manage the drainage system within the City, the Ministry has been supporting the efforts of the City Council. We need to recognize this fact and demand of the City Council a better service as we are paying rates and incurring losses whenever our premises floods.

Over the years I have developed a keen interest in the weather forecast and the agencies responsible to drain the city since I stand to lose millions without any support or rate reduction from the City Council. Times have change and business owners who suffer at the helm of the mismanagement of the city’s drainage system by Mayor and City Council need to raise their voices for better services or will be forced to accept the sloppy service we currently receive.

The Mayor and City Council should emulate the Ministry of Agriculture in its proactive management of the drainage system. The naysayers will always be around, but the initiatives implemented and ongoing by the Ministry of Agriculture will stand out as it seeks to reorganize our drainage system in a significant way to deal with the challenges of climate change.

The Ministry should be complimented rather than be associated with the mismanagement of the city’s drainage by the Mayor and City Council.
RON Mc PHOY