TEAMS from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) have been deployed to help address flooding in some parts of Georgetown which followed after intense rainfall over the past 48 hours.

In central Georgetown, the rains began intermittently on Tuesday but picked up later in the evening into Wednesday morning. According to the CDC, low-lying areas in Georgetown and the lower East Coast were the most affected.

Making up the team which was mobilised on Wednesday morning was Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma; Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine; Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Senior Response Officer, Salim October and other members of the Mayor and City Council (MCC).

While visiting the Albouystown location, October told the media that two CDC teams have been deployed to assess the situation in the aforementioned areas. “So far, on this side [in Albouystown], we’ve observed that while there are about 18 pumps currently being deployed by the City Council, it has still not resulted in complete draining of water off of community lands as well as residential lands,” he stated.

As such, in some homes, water some 2-4 inches has seeped in and should excess rainfall persists within the next 48 hours, then these levels are likely to rise, October said. Some residents saw damages to their furniture and electrical appliances. “In our direct response, we will provide cleaning hampers because health and hygiene is our primary concern to ensure that they’re able to clean as best as they can,” October said.

“We will mobilise sand to create sand bags to present a man-made barrier so that water cannot return within those households.”

He said that the CDC will continue its assessment and engagement in other areas such as La Penitence, North-East La Penitence, South Ruimveldt, Meadow Brook Gardens and areas outside central Georgetown.

Meanwhile, Minister Sharma stated that poor garbage disposal, which contributes to poor drainage, stood out. He observed that even if the flood waters in Georgetown recede soon, low-lying areas like Albouystown will still be challenged. “We’re out here to visit the residents and take any reports and any suggestions,” Sharma said.

“We’re seeing the effect…in the way garbage is disposed of; we’re seeing a lot of plastic bottles, plastic bags and things of that nature. We’re seeing that the drains are clogged with weed and these are things that I’ve learnt that the Mayor and City Council will focus on in terms of having a maintenance programme that will prevent this, especially in affected areas.”

The Minister stated that the only permanent fix to the issue would be to build higher roads but this is a “very costly exercise” which is why stakeholders and residents must pool efforts towards maintaining proper drainage systems.

Meanwhile, Mayor Narine agreed that to revamp the drainage system in Georgetown, this would cost over G$2B. Also pointing out the issue of improper garbage disposal, he stated: “The fact that at the pumps and the sluices there are piles of garbage [such as] old chairs, old cloths, plastic bags, plastic bottles and all these things piled up there causes a heavy effect on the pumps when pumping the water. But, we’re in Albouystown and we’re visiting a few areas and we’ll try our best to get things done.”

He said that the M&CC will also be taking a “key look” into the manholes in Albouystown and other locations in the city to ensure that they are covered to prevent accidents or injuries.
Speaking too, Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore told the media that the Council will be looking into the management of sluices to determine the method used to open and close in relation to high tide and low tide.

He noted that having visited locations like Denmark and Sweden, the Council is looking to implement some of their techniques to manage and prevent flooding.
Meanwhile, Acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry-Munroe, assured that following the assessments in collaboration with the government and the CDC, involved stakeholders will be able to identify areas in need of additional pumps.

She said that citizens must also be discouraged from disposing their garbage in a “callous manner” to enable the drainage system to do its work.

“To the persons who are flooded, we’re here to help them,” she nonetheless assured.
Councillor of Constituency 10, which comprises the Albouystown and Charlestown communities, Heston Bostwick, also assured residents who gathered, by stating:
“Bear with us. We are working around the clock to ensure that relief will come to you in terms of having this flooding become a [thing] of the past.”

He noted that there are 13 alleyways in the communities with concrete drains but the fact that the roadways are still flooded points to the issue of blockages.
Yet, he informed them that desilting and clearing of the drains will soon commence and these activities can simultaneously provide job opportunities for the unemployed in the area.

Meanwhile, October, on behalf of the CDC, has urged residents to take special care of themselves, their household items and children.

“We expect continued rainfall over the next 24-48 hours and, as such, while the City Council has deployed a number of pumps around the city, we still anticipate that flood waters can rise. So, with that in mind, residents have to remain cognizant of this reality by putting furniture and other valuable items high to ensure that further damage is not caused to property. Also, persons with small children need to monitor their children to ensure that they don’t venture into flood waters.””