-Region 9 business community welcomes support
THE rains continued Tuesday night into yesterday morning and the business community in the flood-hit Region 9 (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo) is looking to the support of its partners to pull through. President of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Mr. Alfred Ramsaran told the Guyana Chronicle that approximately 40 business places are inundated and most others are closed. “The business community has been seriously impacted and the situation is not good,” he said.
According to him, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), the Takutu Guest House and three restaurants are among the businesses under water.
Ramsaran said: “The business community is trying it’s best to see what help we can give to the business people and the residents in the area.”

CUT OFF
The RCCI President pointed out that the road to Boa Vista in neighbouring Brazil is closed because of the flooding. “Much of the supplies to Lethem and Region 9 come from Brazil, but we are cut off….things like cooking gas is a commodity we have sourced from Brazil for years and to bring gas from Georgetown would mean a whole new worry since the connections from the gas bottle would be different,” he said.
Ramsaran noted that soon residents would have to resort to kerosene and fire wood to put a meal on the table. “The conditions are not good…even in the Region itself we are cut off from different areas and it is difficult for the people here, which is why we are grateful for all the support we have received,” he said.
President Bharrat Jagdeo has made it clear that no resources will be spared in supporting the region and some $50M is being spent in the relief effort. On the agriculture front, the portfolio minister has maintained that whether agriculture is affected on the coast or in the hinterlands the ministry will respond to minimize the impacts and deliver relief. Another major concern is health, but the subject minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy contends that his ministry is supporting the capable team in Region 9 and is prepared for the immediate and anticipated realities of the flooding situation.
The RCCI President said the Chamber’s affiliate, the Private Sector Commission (PSC), has also stepped up and is providing invaluable support to flood hit areas.
“We have been in constant contact with PSC Chairman, Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo, and past Chairman Captain Gerry Gouveia…the relief effort coordinated by the Commission will help those affected in a major way,” he said.
The PSC, mobilizing its membership, set up bank accounts at Republic Bank Limited (RBL) and GBTI to facilitate the fundraising efforts.
Additionally the Aircraft Owners Association, a corporate member of the PSC, will be providing an aircraft to assist businesses in south Rupununi communities like Aishalton with the transportation of goods and materials. The CDC is also expected to benefit from this arrangement.
The south Rupununi villages are usually supplied from Lethem by trucks but the roads are now impassable, cut off as the RCCI President described it.
Ramsaran added that through public private collaborations support for the region has been mobilized and the region is coping as best it can.
The RCCI President stated that the water is dropping, but at a very slow pace, but according to the local Hydromet office the rains are expected to continue further into this week and throughout the month of June normal to above normal rainfall is expected throughout all of Guyana.