PRESIDENT Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has ordered a review of all maintenance contracts for drainage structures and urged the activation of penalty clauses whenever those are found applicable. He further instructed that such clauses should be inserted where excluded from existing contracts.

Consistent with that directive, the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has been instructed ‘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’.

That directive from the President could not have come at a better time. The current flood situation in the country has unearthed a number of structural and management deficiencies on the part of those responsible, thereby causing an unnecessary and avoidable rise in water levels.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in our capital city of Georgetown, where large parts of the city become inundated during periods of heavy downpours. Streets become impassable to commuters who are unable to access public services or to transact important business due to flooded streets and elevated water levels.

The inconvenience apart, the losses incurred by the business community are substantial. Many stores in the city are forced to take measures to prevent water from entering their business premises or to close shop altogether until the water level falls. Floodwaters also pose a serious health hazard, especially regarding the spread of waterborne diseases.

This is why it cannot be ‘business as usual’ when it comes to the management of our drainage systems, not only in the city, but in the country as a whole.

In the case of Georgetown, the Mayor and City Council cannot escape responsibility for the floods in many parts of the city which has now becoming routine. There is evidence to suggest negligence and ineptitude on the part of those responsible, prompting one senior government official to wonder whether there may not be a case of sabotage. How else can one explain the failure to have drainage pumps operable during periods of heavy rainfall and the failure to activate pumps, even when such pumps are in full operational mode? There are instances where pump operators were found literally sleeping on the job, totally unmindful of the potential inconvenience and losses to the wider citizenry.

Contractors whose job is to ensure that pumps, drainage systems and other infrastructure are fully maintained and serviced must be held accountable. They are paid out of taxpayers’ dollars to do a job and they are expected to do their job to the full extent of their contractual obligation and job specification. There are instances where responsible officials are deliberately turning a blind eye to substandard quality of work by contractors with the expectation of some form of reward. These are not only unethical, but also speak to financial improprieties and a breach of the Financial Management and Accountability Act.

The Office of the Auditor General has been dong audits of the public finances by the relevant agencies. In addition, it has also been doing value-for-money audits to ensure that monies spent on capital works executed by public agencies measure up to the intended specifications and scope of work. It is important that such audits be broadened to include projects executed by the City Council.

We are all poorer as a society when such lapses and aberrations take place by those in positions of authority and responsibility. In the final analysis, it is the taxpayers who have to bear the burden of the losses caused by sloppy works and failure on the part of the relevant officials to ensure that quality work is done in keeping with the required standard.

In this regard, the directive by President Ali is both timely and necessary. The convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation has increased the level of stress in the society and poses new and unexpected challenges to us as a society. It is the duty and responsibility of us all to rise to these challenges and play our part to mitigate the pain and sufferings of the Guyanese people.