-makes several interventions
A HIGH-LEVEL team comprising Presidential Advisor, Odinga Lumumba; Director of Sports Neil Kumar; Regional Executive Officer, Region Ten, Henry Rodney; and Parliamentary Secretary, Steve Ninvalle was on Friday dispatched to rained-out Kwakwani at the behest of the President, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo to engage the residents there and have a firsthand look at the situation. Kwakwani is a village on the Berbice River in the Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice region, and is located approximately 40 kilometres south of Linden, while Lamp Island, another community in the same locale that has also been seriously affected, comprises about 60 families.        
Lumumba told residents in the affected areas that he’d noticed from an aerial view of the situation, that although the level of water in the river was high, the flooding they were experiencing was as a result of water draining from the flooded-out savannahs and finding an escape route in their communities.
He however assured them that theirs was not an isolated situation as countries the world over are in the same boat today because of sea-level rise and climate change, and that he would advise that they relocate to higher ground, or use the mechanism the government has in place to secure a house-lot at a more advantageous location.
He told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that as far as he knew there was no devastation of note in the areas at reference, and that the farmers on Lamp Island whose crops were affected will receive assistance from government.
The team made several interventions to ensure residents are able to continue their daily activities, such as providing river transportation for children to get to and from school and their parents to conduct their daily business, and water purification supplies.
Since Monday last, a medical team has been in the area monitoring residents of the two communities, and according to Lumumba, their presence will be sustained.
He said that water tanks will also be provided to the communities so as to ensure residents have access to clean water.
Kumar, meanwhile, apprised Kwakwani residents of the numerous development initiatives the government has undertaken to create a better standard-of-living for them, such as the provision of clean water, electricity, and proper roads.           
He also told them to expect 200 hampers of food and other supplies.
Lumumba indicated that a team will return to assess the situation in Kwakwani shortly.(GINA)