DESPITE  the constant complaints by residents and many promises by persons in authority, the community in North and South Ruimveldt continues to suffer from heavy flooding whenever it rains. Visiting the area on two Wednesdays ago, the Guyana Chronicle was greeted by pools of water in almost every street.
At best, the main entrance to the communities, Aubrey Barker Road, was not flooded as is usually the case. However, many other streets, including Sugar Cane Street, Cane View Avenue and Beverley Close in South Ruimveldt were under water.
In North Ruimveldt, the entrance and exit to Festival City were sheets of water, and so was Kiakan Street and the last entrance to North Ruimveldt, just to name a few.
One resident expressed her concern about the continuous situation in the area.
“I’m tired of all this nonsense,” Arlene Harding said, obviously agitated. “All we have been getting in this area is promises, but to no avail. We are still waiting for something to be done.”
Harding said that as soon as it rains, the water floods the yards and eventually the houses. She said this has been the trend for several years and she is very tired of it.
Another resident, in Festival City,  informed this reporter that the street is a ‘swimming pool’, even when it rains just a bit.
“I don’t understand this thing, but when it rain you can’t walk through this street. The water reaching ‘till up to yah ankle and yah gotta end up paying a bus to take you to yah house,” the frustrated man said.
Another resident blames the frequent flooding on drains that are clogged and parapets that are not maintained.
“There are even snakes and frogs in your yards when it rains.” she said .
Other residents shared similar views about the flooding in the area, claiming that the drains are stagnant and the area is too bushy.
It seems too, one resident says, that the streets were built up higher than the yards, and so the rain runs off onto their premises.
Anthony Lynch, from Festival City said that he is tired of the situation, because he is forced to ‘pack up’ every time it rains and ‘clean up’ every time the rain stops.
He also informed Chronicle that his uncle has suffered great losses from the incessant flooding since all of his livestock and plants have died, and it is difficult for him to restart his business since the flood could come again at any time.
Residents are asking for answers since they say they can no longer take the plight that they are in, and since they are paying taxes, they believe that they have the right to demand better conditions in their communities.