THREE engineers have been tasked with reporting operations that are not in accordance with the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) concerning the operation of sluices and pumps.
Noting that the flood waters have receded in affected areas, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, told the Guyana Chronicle, on Sunday, that the three engineers have been assigned on a full-time basis in Georgetown.
“I have assigned three engineers on a full-time basis in Georgetown to report any activities that are not in line with NDIA.”
On Friday, negligence at City Hall resulted in flooding across the city, according to Minister Mustapha; several sluices were without operators since the Georgetown City Council did not assign anyone.
“There were a number of sluices – two or three main sluices in the city – that the Georgetown City Council did not have operators to operate. We had to go with NDIA to find operators to operate those sluices, and, once again, is the same thing; rain start to fall, and City Council started to get problems,” Minister Mustapha said.
He related, on Friday, that he had asked the NDIA to monitor the situation on a 24-hour basis and that they have already ensured that all sluices are operable.
“We have had continuous heavy downpours; that is why we had the build-up of water. And also, the forecast is showing that we might have some more rain,” the Agriculture Minister said.
On a national level, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) said it had received several reports of flood impacts along the country’s coastland.
Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica) were significantly affected with an average of four inches of floodwaters.
“Wakenaam and Leguan, in the Essequibo River, and Parika and Vergenoegen on the Eastern Bank of the Essequibo River have reported rising water levels in trenches and drains. That resulted in over-topping onto roadways, and into the Parika Market area,” the CDC said.
Residents in the communities, however, have not reported any household impacts, and the authorities on the ground have indicated that all kokers and sluices are currently operational.
Along the West Coast of Demerara, areas such as Stewartville, Hague, and Pouderoyen have reported flooding in many residential streets due to the heavy rainfall.
At the time of this report, no water had seeped into households. Irrigation measures are in place in several communities in the region and authorities will continue to monitor the developing situation.
In Region Four, the Better Hope/LBI communities have also reported flooding. Persons there have said that if the heavy rains continue, the water levels can rise even further.
Additionally, there was a report of a high wind impact along Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown. No injuries were reported and the CDC liaised with the City Engineer’s Department of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown to rectify the issue.
The CDC urged all residents to take the necessary precautions during this time and to report all impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) at 600-7500 at any time.
It was announced in Budget 2023, by the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, that $19.7 billion would be expended on drainage and irrigation works.
There will be upgrades to drainage and irrigation systems across the country, as well as new pump stations which will be constructed at Meten-Meer-Zorg, Jimbo Grove, Belle Vue and Letter Kenny.
