Heavy overnight rain left several areas of the city flooded yesterday, in what may be an ominous sign of what is to come. It has been predicted that the rainfall during this month and in January will be above average.

Workers from the Ministry of Transport and Hydraulics clearing a drain along the lower East Coast Demerara Highway yesterday.

Stabroek News visited different parts of the city — South Ruimveldt, Tucville, Campbellville, and areas around central Georgetown — and along the East Coast Demerara and found them flooded but by mid -morning water in several of these areas had begun to recede.

During the morning, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn, Deputy Mayor Robert Williams and other senior officials of City Hall were making checks of the various pumps at the drainage stations in the city and along the East Coast. All were reportedly in operation.
Benn told this newspaper that he was satisfied with the response to the situation and was happy that water in some areas had been quickly drained off. He said that considering the heavy rainfall, which he estimated to be about 3 ½ inches, the response was good. He said that to have 3 ½ inches of rainfall in such a short space of time was a lot and added  there was only so much that could be done given the resources available.

When Stabroek News spoke to the minister, he was supervising a group of workers from his ministry who were clearing a drain alongside the lower East Coast Demerara Highway.  He told this newspaper that the constant dumping of refuse into the canals remained a serious problem within the city. He said the drainage alongside the Rupert Craig highway had become problematic particularly with the recent Sunday night seawall limes, which had caused a serious increase in littering in the area. He explained that all it took was a few bags or bottles in addition to hanging grass for these drains to be clogged.

The minister also said that in areas South of Georgetown, flooding would continue to be a problem because residents had taken to planting on some of the reserves, which hampered drainage.
Meanwhile over at the Liliendaal station, all three pumps were in operation.

Over at the GuySuCo controlled Le Ressouvenir drainage pump, the attendants told this newspaper that while the pumps were working, garbage in the system was hampering their effectiveness.  This newspaper was shown a heap of garbage which had been dug from nearby canals recently.