— to respond to issues that may arise during the December-January rainy season

GUYANA’S previous rainy season took a massive toll on the country and its people; it resulted in unprecedented floods which saw waters surpassing 15 feet in some areas. As the country enters its second rainy season, [December-January] President Dr. Irfaan Ali seems not to be taking any chances. As a result, the Head of State has moved to activate a ‘Cabinet Level Taskforce’ to respond to issues brought on by the rains, especially potential floods.

According to a statement issued by the Civil Defence Commission [CDC], the taskforce will be led by Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, who, along with his team, will work in tandem with all local authorities to ensure that all response and mitigative systems are in place and are functional.

“These systems will include, but are not limited to, all working sluices, kokers, and drainage systems,” the CDC statement said. It noted that the aim of assembling the taskforce is to “make certain that there is a proactive and coordinated response to the current rainy season with the intent to safeguard livelihoods and property”.

Additionally, the CDC said that teams from all administrative regions are mandated to regularly update the Task Force at 12-hour intervals, on any and all impacts caused by the rains. “Reports are to describe the communities affected, types of impacts and the measures being taken by response and technical entities,” the CDC noted.

It explained that already, within the past 24 hours, Regions One to Five have reported accumulated rainfall measuring above two inches. Moreover, the weather forecast for the next 24 hours predicts continuous rain and thunderstorms across the entire coastland and parts of Regions Seven, Eight and 10. “Region Nine will see scattered showers intermittently,” the CDC said.

Even before the launch of the taskforce, the Ministry of Agriculture, headed by Zulfikar Mustapha had embarked on an aggressive plan to ensure that all drainage apparatuses in Georgetown and across the country were functioning at maximum capacity. Those efforts led to the quick receding of accumulated waters in the City.

Mustapha, in an invited comment on Friday, had said that, notwithstanding some amount of resistance from the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), his ministry has moved ahead to add a secondary level of monitoring through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

“When I went [to a sluice Thursday night] while the sluice was open, half of the door was in the water impeding the flow of the water. Last night, at Riverview, residents complained that either the pump or the sluice wasn’t working,” Minister Mustapha shared.

PROMPT ACTION
He said that the NDIA has been quick to ensure that issues are rectified immediately, and has also been vigilant in ensuring that all canals and drains are cleared.

“I have since assigned three engineers from the NDIA to monitor these pumps and sluices on a 24-hour basis to ensure they are operable. In some instances, the Town Council workers refuse entry to the compound of our engineers,” the Agriculture Minister noted.

During the last rainy season, pump attendants of the M&CC were caught by President Ali sleeping on the job, while water levels in the City were rising.

With heavy rainfalls expected to last until February next year, the government has issued a call for all citizens to take necessary precautions against this natural occurrence. “… so residents should be cautious and also help to ensure the system is cleared by avoid dumping garbage and other things in the system,” the minister said.

The previous rainy season, which commenced earlier in May, resulted in more than two months of devastating floods, occurring in all regions, across 300 communities. This had affected some 52,000 households and destroyed thousands of acres of farmlands.

Even now, many are still trying to recover from the impact of the previous floods, and, fortunately, most of the affected persons have already benefitted from the government’s $7.8 billion flood relief programme which saw affected persons benefitting from various cash grants aimed at kick-starting their recovery. Unfortunately, a second bout of floods loom, even as the government continues distribution of the cash grants.

It is hoped that with the taskforce, the country would be better equipped to minimise the effects of the rains. In addition to being chaired by Prime Minister Phillips, the taskforce comprises of the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall; Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal; the Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC) Director-General, Colonel Kester Craig; the National Security Advisor, Gerald Gouveia; along with representatives of the Guyana Defence Force, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and Hydromet Office.

In the meantime, residents countrywide are advised to remain vigilant and take all necessary flood precautions. Also, they are encouraged to report any impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 600-7500 at any time.