– situation being monitored, says former mayor

PARTS of Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) have been flooded due to persistent rainfall over the past few days, but former Mayor of Lethem Carlton Beckles said the situation is not too serious, because the water is not rising rapidly.

Although the water has risen to unusual heights for the normal ‘May-June’ rainy season, it is not comparable to last year when the Rio Branco overflowed due to torrential downpours, said Beckles in an invited comment on Sunday.

“Water has risen to a considerable distance, it covered the road near the market area,” he noted, adding that the approach from St. Ignatius has also been flooded, but the majority of Lethem is still dry, because of its geographical location.
Water had also reached the backdoors and yards of some residents of the area, so the situation is being monitored.

Beckles believes that the accumulation of water is due to overtopping in the southern part of the Rupununi and the mountainous areas.

“The water running down from that side, but we are also having more hours of rain during the day than we are accustomed to during the normal rainy season,” he said, noting that rain fell all night on Saturday.

Although it has been raining persistently, the former mayor observed that the water is rising slowly, which is a good sign.

Last year when the Rio Branco overtopped, the floods displaced a number of persons in Lethem and its environs and affected farms in all five sub-districts in the region.
The increase in the water level of the river was preventing the Takutu, Ireng, Rupununi and other rivers in the region from draining, resulting in flooding in the township of Lethem and other areas.

Roads and bridges were also negatively impacted by the floods, resulting in the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force using their boats to shuttle commuters between Lethem and St. Ignatius.

The main access trail to Lethem was also affected by flooding, resulting in some areas being cut off and vehicles becoming stuck.

A few days ago, it was reported that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will be visiting and assessing flood-affected areas in South Rupununi.

Director of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, said the commission and the Regional Democratic Council are monitoring the Takutu and Ireng Rivers and the roadways.
Craig told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the main aim of the visit is to locate deficiencies in the region’s preparedness and response capability and to work towards enhancing them.

“We’ll be looking at the shelter capacity, or the status of the location identified for shelter, supplies for relief, health facilities to see if there are adequate drugs in the [event] of an outbreak and we will also look at the response coordination system in the region, to see how we can strengthen and give them support,” Craig explained.

The CDC director encouraged residents to stock up on food supplies and water, medical supplies and other household items, since most of the roadway is cut off. For the past four days, heavy rains have caused flooding in deep South, which resulted in the Wardpao Bridge across the Rupununi River being inaccessible to residents and vehicles.

The road between communities of Katoonarib to Karaudarnauwa has been identified as the alternative route, but it needs some work so that residents and vehicles can safely travel to their destinations.