Over the next few weeks, Guyana can expect heavy rainfall in almost every area, the Timehri Meteorological Office has said. And President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday expressed concern since there have been reports of flooding in some areas along the coast.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday at State House, President Jagdeo said that over the past few days, parts of Guyana have experienced some five inches of rainfall and this is forecast to increase over the next few weeks. After the heavy rainfall experienced on Wednesday and Thursday, the President said, he immediately contacted the relevant authorities to ensure that things were in place to deal with excess water on the land.
He said he was given assurances that all pumps are fully functional and kokers would be opened to drain the land.
At present, Jagdeo said, there is no need to be alarmed about the level of water in the East Demerara Water Con-servancy since it is at a normal level.
This conservancy played a major role in the Great Flood of 2005. However, the President said he was concerned about Regions Three and Four. The Head of State said he had received reports from a team headed by Prime Minister Sam Hinds that some villages along the East Coast Demerara, West Coast Demerara and West Bank Demerara were under water but not an alarming level. (See other story on page 12.)
Some villages on the East Coast that have experienced some amount of flooding include Ann’s Grove, Clonbrook and Victoria. Other areas that have reported slight flooding include Grass Hook and Hope, Mahaica which Jagdeo said was of concern, since that area had no drainage.
He explained that there were two sluices in those areas but despite being de-silted often, they silted up over a short period.
On other areas that may be affected by flooding as the rainy season picks up, the President said he was confident that each Neighbourhood Democratic Council had the capacity to deal with the situation. However, in the event that drainage infrastructure is overwhelmed he has indicated that each Regional Chairman should contact him directly so that emergency action can be taken.
He added that while a recurrence of the January 2005 Great Flood was not anticipated, persons were being asked to be vigilant since the heavy rain was compounded by high tides.
On the question of preparedness in the event of a recurrence of the Great Flood, Jagdeo said the necessary agencies were prepared. He said that since the last flood much had been done to upgrade drainage throughout the country. He added that only recently an agreement was signed with the Japanese Government for assistance in finding long-term flood control solutions and millions had been spent to acquire equipment since the only means of draining our lands at the moment were pumps, sluices and kokers.
He said the Civil Defence Commission was also fully prepared for the rainy season, however in the worst-case scenario the Guyana Defence Force and the Police Force would be called in.
Liliendaal pumps
Meanwhile, earlier in the day Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green informed the media that the City Council was also prepared for the rainy season. Following checks around the city, the Mayor and City Council has reported that seven of the eight pumps around the central Georgetown area are functioning. The pump at Princes Street is out of operation owing to a mechanical problem and is expected to be back in operation sometime over the weekend.
Green told the media that with the remaining seven pumps functioning, city residents should not worry too much about excess water on the land. “The pumps are capable of draining off excess water in a timely manner which would have been accumulated by the heavy rainfall we are currently experiencing and which will continue into the New Year.”
All kokers in and around the city are functioning. However, Green said he was extremely concerned about the power supply to the two pumps at Liliendaal. “I am appealing to the Guyana Power and Light company to provide an alternative power supply to the pumps up there. This is necessary at a time like this with the rainy season on us already,” the Mayor said. He explained that currently the pumps only have one power source and in the event of a power outage they would not be able to function, which would cause some trouble for persons living in the surrounding areas. “We are asking for another power supply maybe from another area because it’s highly unlikely that the entire country would have a complete power shutdown at one time.” (Jenelle Carter)
