— Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

WITH 52 persons displaced from their homes in Kwakwani due to flooding caused by heavy rains and the overtopping of the Berbice River, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, following an assessment over the weekend, said a long-term solution is needed to address flooding in the community.

In May last year, the Region 10 authorities declared Kwakwani to be in a “severe state” after the water level rose to the extent that it completely covered several homes.

Yearly, when the May/June rainy season comes, residents would brace themselves for heavy torrential rainfall and light flooding. Efforts by residents to rebuild their lives following the 2020 flood were recently disrupted after heavy rainfall led to severe flooding. This development has prompted the regional authorities to advise all persons living in flood-prone areas, such as Lamp Island and the waterfront, to relocate to higher ground.

Shelters in Kwakwani and several other flood-affected communities in the region have since been established. Meanwhile, flood relief in the form of hampers stocked with food and cleaning supplies have been distributed to affected residents.

“Right now, we have shelters that are operational, that’s the most important thing to ensure that life and livelihood is [sic] preserved. We provided support in terms of hampers, both food and cleaning.”

In a previous interview with this newspaper, Elroy Adolph, a resident of Kwakwani and councillor attached to the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council (RDC), explained that the waterfront and Lamp Island communities are located close to the Berbice River and several swamps.

Adolph emphasised that any amount of rainfall usually results in overtopping of the river and nearby swamps, which results in flooding in the two mentioned areas.

“The Kwakwani waterfront is like a dam. It has the river and then it has the swamps, so any rainfall would cause it to flood. When the river water rise and the swamp water rise, it covers the dam,” he added.

To trace the history of seasonal flooding in the Region 10 community, this newspaper had spoken to the former Regional Chairman, Mortimer Mingo, who was the Regional Chairman some 10 years ago when severe flooding had hit the community.

Mingo in that interview had said that severe flooding in Kwakwani is a phenomenon that tends to occur every 10 years or so during the rainy season, or whenever there is above-normal rainfall.

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has since set up a third shelter in the region at Hururu. The shelter has the capacity to accommodate approximately 25 families.

Other shelters have been established at Kwakwani and Aroaima in the region. Some 52 persons are occupying the three shelters, while more families are expected to arrive over the next 24 hours. The commission and other relevant government agencies are closely monitoring all administrative regions as the rainy season persists.

Residents are advised to take all necessary precautions and to report any impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 600-7500 or 226-1114 at any time.