AFTER days of heavy rainfall and severe flooding, floodwaters in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) are slowly receding, according to Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal.
Minister Croal is currently in the region conducting assessments, and on Friday told the Guyana Chronicle that water levels in the township of Lethem have receded considerably.
Due to the heavy torrential rainfalls and over-topping of the Rio Branco river in neighbouring Brazil, and the Takutu River in Guyana, several parts of the Lethem township and other parts of the region were hit with floods in the recent days, which resulted in several families being displaced.
This saw emergency shelters being established in the region, at the Tabatinga Sports Complex, the Tabatinga Nursery School, the Culvert City Nursery School, and one more at the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Regional Disaster Risk Management Centre.
Minister Croal said that while flood waters have begun to recede, 138 persons remain in those shelters across the region, but this number is expected to reduce soon.
In the meantime, the authorities are working to make available the necessary cleaning equipment and sanitisation products to assist persons with the cleaning and sanitising of their homes.
“As of today, because the water has started to recede, a lot of them have gone back to check on their houses, and, in those cases, where they can start the cleanup, we are providing them with cleaning materials through the RDC [Regional Democratic Council] and municipality,” Minister Croal said.
Since the waters have begun to recede, the minister said the authorities are hopeful that residents will soon be able to return to the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
“We expect by from tonight that the numbers will lessen in terms of the persons at the shelters, because the waters have gone down considerably. For example, by the airstrip road, that road is not covered anymore as it previously was,” he told this newspaper.
“The focus now is to ensure that persons can return back to their comfortable homes that they previously enjoyed,” Minister Croal said.
Currently, the regional authorities are carrying out assessments to highlight the immediate needs of residents who were and still are affected by floods across the region.
“There will be different phases of the focus; of course, we are here monitoring and communicating with communities. Over the weekend, I’ll be in the south to a number of communities. We will have another round to map up assessments, and then interventions,” the minister said.
As the May/June rainy season continues, the CDC is urging persons, countrywide, to take precautions where necessary, and to report any flooding impact to the local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 600-7500 or 226-1114 at any time.