AFTER heavy rainfall and severe flooding for almost two months, floodwaters in Kwakwani, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), are slowly receding, according to Regional Chairman Deron Adams.
In an update provided to the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, Adams said the water levels across the community have dropped significantly. However, approximately 198 persons are still being housed in shelters across the region.

Due to heavy rainfall and an overflow of the Berbice River, residents have been grappling with severe flooding since late April. The water levels in areas near the river were over 15 feet.
At the Kwakwani waterfront, which is separated from the Berbice River by a long stretch of road and a sandbank, the water level has dropped to approximately four feet, while at Lamp Island, the water level has dropped to about nine feet. These two areas were the most severely affected in the community.

Adams noted that while the floodwaters have begun to recede, the regional authorities are now even more concerned about residents contracting diseases from the stagnant waters and rodents.
“So, the situation currently at Kwakwani sub-region two area is dire. The water I must say is down by 34 inches and in some other areas its down by 44 inches. The concern at this time, however, is the added threat of mosquitoes and other vectors like rats. We know that can cause serious sicknesses like leptospirosis and so on, so, we are monitoring the situation,” the regional head posited.

The Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Gregory Harris, had previously explained to this publication that in preparation for the rainy season and expected floods, the Regional Health Committee held several sensitisation campaigns on how persons can protect themselves from flood-related diseases and infections.
Earlier in the month, several cases of severe diarrohea were reported. Since then, the regional authorities have been monitoring people placed in shelters across the region and those who chose to remain at their respective homes despite the high water levels.

“We have only had a few diarrohea cases here and there but nothing much; we usually have medical outreaches in all the flooded areas. So, when we go in, we would advise persons in terms of water treatment, how to store food and we would give them medication for rashes, the common cold and those kinds of things,” Dr. Harris said.

Additionally, concerns of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are still present, especially since the number of persons in shelters have increased over the past month.
Dr. Harris said although persons have been placed at strategic points in the various shelters to maintain social distancing, health officials have opted to conduct regular, scheduled COVID-19 tests to monitor persons so as to prevent an outbreak.

“It’s just a routine thing, because you have various persons going into the shelters, so we want to make sure that everybody is COVID-free and if we should get a positive case, we can limit an outbreak which we are trying to avoid,” he added.