THE $500M Clean-Up My Country Programme has allowed for a greater capacity of the city to store water; but care must be taken to keep the city’s drainage network free from overgrowth and garbage.
Local Government and Regional Development (MLGRD) Minister, Norman Whittaker, addressing questions posed by the media at Thursday’s press conference held in the LGRD Ministry’s boardroom said: “We have challenged some Guyanese who continue to litter and throw their garbage all over. I, too, traverse Georgetown, and if you go by King and Robb streets, go along Manget Place, in South (Ruimveldt) and some areas that were recently cleaned, it is Guyanese who have done that!” (littered)
He told reporters that Guyanese have seen what happens when they litter and it rains, since drains and canals become clogged with garbage, and it takes longer to drain when flooded.
The minister said: “From Wednesday night to Thursday, we had an unusually high volume of rainfall, which accumulated; and if we had not made the efforts that we did by cleaning drains etc. by removing significant amounts of garbage, one never knows (whether) the situation would have been far worse than it is.”
Whittaker said Guyanese have learnt about the interventions being made, and there are some things they don’t have control over; for example, more rains. He said the authorities will review the weather predictions and see what unfolds in the next couple of days, since they have no control over that; but they have some control over getting the water to recede.
He added that during his visit to sluices in the city on Thursday morning, he observed some evidence of silting; and in some areas there was no battery to work the pump. He said the Acting Town Clerk was informed about the situation, and it will be addressed in the shortest possible time.
As a nation, we will rise above this situation, he said.
The minister told a previous press conference that the $500M allocated to the cleanup of Georgetown was never intended to prevent flooding, but was intended to improve the aesthetics and sanitation of the City by way of getting rid of its overgrown vegetation and garbage. However, during consultations, community coordinators made representation to improve drainage within the communities, and this was facilitated.
Whittaker said that if the efforts under the clean-up programme were not undertaken, removing tonnes of garbage from communities within the City, the flood situation would have been worse.
He also pointed out that the City’s drainage system is over 100 years old, and it was built to accommodate only 1½ inches of rainfall per day. This flood’s rainfall exceeded that amount in mere hours.
Some areas experienced more than six inches of rainfall. Minister Whittaker elaborated that, under the “Clean-Up My Country” Programme, drains in communities where widened where necessary, and deepened to discharge the water at a faster rate. As a result, water is receding overall at a faster rate from those communities.
Whittaker was accompanied by Minister Robeson Benn and Acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba on his visit to the several kokers in the City to ensure they are working efficiently. According to the City Engineer, “all kokers were opened on time.”
Georgetown was put on priority list for cleanup, since the Central Government had seen the continuous reluctance of the Georgetown Municipality to improve the sanitation and aesthetics of the city.
(Michel Outridge)
