Next budget to cater for enhancement of nationwide drainage capacity
President, Dr, Irfaan Ali; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar and other officials listening to the concerns of a Mahaicony Creek resident
President, Dr, Irfaan Ali; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar and other officials listening to the concerns of a Mahaicony Creek resident

–President Ali says, as ECLAC called in to complete flood assessment

 

CONSIDERING the devastating effects of nationwide flooding caused by intense rainfall, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that the next budget will cater for the enhancement of the nation’s drainage capacity.
For just about four weeks, between May and June, the country experienced extreme weather conditions which resulted in flooding, that was more devastating in some communities than others.
Based on a preliminary assessment, a total of 28,228 households were affected by flooding, some with water entering their homes, domestic animals and livestock in distress, or farmlands inundated.

And although floodwaters have receded significantly, some communities are still reeling from the effects of the natural disaster.
When asked about the severity of the floods on the side-lines of an event at State House, on Friday, President Ali said: “Well, I think that the scale of the flood has just been enormous. In terms of the damage to the crops the damage to livelihood the damage to the household. I think just the magnitude and scale in terms of economic loss and financial loss has been enormous.”
The precise impact of the natural disaster will be covered by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in its ongoing Detailed Damage Sector Assessment (DDSA) on flooding in Guyana.

The DDSA covers assessments and analysis across seven sectors, namely health, water and sanitation, infrastructure and housing, agriculture, social services, and shelter and mining in Regions Two, Five, Six, Seven and 10.
“You know, we almost completed our assessment, and we are trying to get ECLAC [The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean] to do provide some final help,” President Ali related.
Although the assessment is incomplete, the Head of State was certain that, in moving forward, a plan must be drafted for better drainage, nationwide.
To this end, President Ali said: “So, a big part of moving forward and we’ll see this reflected in the next budget and going forward, is for us to come up with the right vehicle, to come up with a plan in creating this opportunity for more, for better drainage, for protection in the future also.”

In the early stages of the floods, to mitigate the impact of the disaster, local authorities installed new pumps and drainage tubes; dredged canals and excavated clogged channels; deployed equipment countrywide to conduct emergency clearing of drains and canals, and repaired breaches and damaged infrastructure.
The need remains, however, to examine the entire drainage system to identify which areas across the coast would be critical in providing additional output capacity, President Ali said.
An example of the benefits of additional output capacity is Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where the Hope Canal was pivotal in draining the land and averting a disaster in the region.
“What that has shown us is that there is now a critical need for many more of these canals across the coastland, and this is what the communities themselves are calling for,” President Ali related.
While the terrain does not allow for a similar approach to be adopted in hinterland regions, the Head of State said that other measures will be implemented to mitigate the impacts of flooding in those areas.
Among the possible measures is the implementation of guidelines and regulations for the amount of weight a truck could carry. This option was proposed by stakeholders in the mining sector.

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