— President orders review of all maintenance contracts for drainage structures

— urges activation of penalty clauses where needed; insertion of penalty clauses where absent

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali, has instructed Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, to “immediately review all service and maintenance contracts within the sphere of the Government of Guyana, and the entire State structure, in relation to drainage pumps, sluices, kokers and drainage and irrigation, generally”. The Head of State’s orders come as Guyana remains in a state of disaster due to flooding. Earlier in the month, Dr. Ali made an impromptu visit to several pump stations across Georgetown and on the outskirts of the City, where he found pump attendants sleeping, sluice doors closed, and pumps switched off. These scenarios sought to exacerbate the devastation of the ongoing countrywide floods.

President Ali has ordered that the AG “enforce any penalty clause against contractors who are in breach of their obligations under these [servicing and maintenance] contracts.”
In instances where the penalty clauses are absent from the contracts, Minister Nandlall was asked to ensure that such contracts are renegotiated for the purpose of inserting penalty clauses, which can be activated when contractors fail to discharge their duties.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, has informed that government will be launching an investigation into the circumstances surrounding flooding in Georgetown.
The minister believes that flooding in Georgetown is particularly due to negligence and carelessness on the part of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
“There seems to be some sabotage going on in the town,” minister Mustapha posited. He said that whenever its rains excessively in Capital, “two or three pumps suddenly become inoperable.”

The minister reminded that the ongoing flood is a national disaster that requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to find solutions and enact relief mechanisms.
“Let us don’t play politics with people’s lives in the City… they [Georgetown Mayor and City Council] must get their act together,” Mustapha noted. He related that the flooding experienced by Georgetown on Wednesday is as a result of three key drainage ports becoming inoperable at Cowan Street, Commerce Street, and River’s View.
The minister indicated that new engineers will be assigned to the City, and would be responsible for ensuring the 24-hour operations of all drainage apparatus.
Minister Mustapha said that even though he has spoken to officials of the Georgetown M&CC on multiple occasions, they have not been doing anything to alleviate the effects of the flood waters on residents.

“The City Council will also have to play their part…the City Council is not doing anything,” minister Mustapha related.
The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in its daily report said that the number of flood-affected households nationwide has surpassed 36,083 in at least 300 communities across all 10 Administrative regions. In some areas such as Kwakwani in Region 10, floodwaters have surpassed 15 feet, forcing persons to seek alternative housing. Many persons have settled in with close family and friends, while others have been set up at government-operated shelters. So far, the CDC said that a total of 216 persons are currently being housed in a total of
nine shelters activated in Regions Two, Five, Nine and 10.
Since the floods began in May, the Irfaan Ali-led government has ‘dived’ into emergency response gear, providing much to almost every affected household. So far, a total of 21,284 cleaning

hampers and 26,045 food hampers have been distributed across the country, as a form of emergency relief. President Ali has since promised the administration’s support in assisting citizens in their rebuilding and recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, Guyana is not yet in the clear, with continued rainfall expected well into the month of July.
As a matter of fact, the National Weather Watch Centre has projected deteriorated weather conditions for the coastland, with expected thunder showers. Moreover, Guyanese are urged to take the necessary precautions to safeguard against possible wind, lightning, and mudslides.
It was only on Monday night that the government successfully secured a $10 billion Supplementary Budget to address a number of issues stemming from the ongoing floods. These issues include increased flood-relief support for residents, as well as monies to conduct critical repairs to a number of public infrastructures such as roads and bridges that have been damaged by the ongoing floods.