–sluices, pumps fully operational, says Regional Chairman

WITH water starting to recede in some parts of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), authorities have stepped up relief efforts in flood-affected areas, to ensure that persons are able to sustain themselves while they recover from the effects of flooding.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, on Tuesday, Regional Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Ishan Ayube, said that authorities have fanned out to communities across the region, and have been actively monitoring the situation.
Additionally, with the foundation in place to tackle the situation effectively, the regional authorities are working on methods of intervention.

“Since last week, the RDC is out in the field. You have the engineers, the Regional Executive Officer (REO), the local government and the Regional Chairman. We also had ministers on the ground; we had Minister Deodat Indar [Minister within the Ministry of Public Works] and Minister Priya Manickchand [Education Minister], and today [Tuesday] we have Minister Nigel Dharamlall right now in Metem-Meer-Zorg, West, assessing the flood and at the same time making representation for some intervention,” Ayube said.
Further, he related: “Minister Manickchand had earlier visited Belle West, in the Canals and Good Fortuin. Mr. Indar is in the area every day. This morning [Tuesday] we visit Belle West and Belle East, where we were able to give some hampers. Right now, we are distributing some hampers in Belle West but hampers will be distributed across the region [today] for other people who are badly affected. We are trying to give them some detergent and we will be giving them some food hampers also.”
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, is also expected to pay a visit to the region, since farmlands have also been affected by floods. Like the rest of the country, the region is affected by flooding caused by heavy rainfall.

“We have several areas that have been flooded, for example, Belle East and Belle West have flooding, with the water reaching inside the lower flat of a lot of homes. We have flooding in Goed Fortuin, at New Road Vreed-en-Hoop, at High Park in Parika and flooding in the farmlands of both Canals One and Two. We have one and two other places with small flooding but those are the major areas,” Ayube related. Aside from the government officials who are on the ground, Ayube said he is also heartened by the support that has been extended to the region by civil society organisations. “We have a lot of movement in terms of a lot of persons in the field, and a lot of machines deployed across the region. Civil societies have been doing their part in whatever way they can lend support, whether its machine or whatever is within their ability or capacity they are lending the support,” Ayube said.
Notwithstanding the floods, Ayube noted that all of the necessary facilities in the region are working properly, and are being monitored.
“All the sluices are operable and in good condition. All the pumps are working but we still need more pumps in vulnerable areas especially in the Tuschen-Uitvlugt NDC. We really need a pump in this NDC, because it has a lot of low-lying areas and there is only one sluice in this whole NDC, even though this NDC is densely populated. So, it is difficult for us to service the whole NDC,” he said.