As the water levels in the main waterways in northern Brazil rose last week, residents of Lethem are bracing for the worst and some are criticizing the authorities over the absence of a broad-based flood preparation plan.
Neighbouring Manaus, Brazil, has over the past week been experiencing its worst flooding in decades as a result of persistent rainfall and the authorities there have declared a state of emergency as the floodwaters continue to overtop the main waterways there.
As a result the waters in connecting rivers and creeks climbed to alarming levels over the weekend and residents of Lethem noted yesterday that the water in the main waterways including the Moco Moco Creek, the Tabatinga Creek, the Rupununi River as well as the Manari Creek has been rising slowly over the past week.
“Well it’s not that bad yet because the rainy season started early here but it rising and we have to be on the lookout at this frontier“, Lethem resident Dereck Walker noted yesterday. He said that traffic between Boa Vista and Bom Fin has been flowing but there are reports that further south into Brazil sections of the roadway have been washed away.
According to a resident, persons in the Region Nine area are fearful that a repeat of last year’s devastating flood which affected the entire region may be on the horizon.
It was noted that the water level in the Takutu River has been rising slowly and if it floods the Lethem water will have nowhere to be drained off. There are reports too that the Lethem/Georgetown trail had been affected by floodwaters from the highland areas closer to Lethem and a minibus driver who travelled to the city yesterday noted that the situation is having some impact on traffic. He said that since the rainy season started, the road has been in a slushy state in certain parts while water has accumulated at other sections.
According to Regional Councillor, Carl Parker, the communities of the South Rupununi have been experiencing heavy rainfall over the past several days, an indication that the rainy season has started early this year. He said that residents in such areas have complained that key infrastructure such as the bridges along the roadways leading to the administrative capital at Lethem are in a poor state.
Parker stated that he had tabled a motion at a Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting earlier this year to have a functioning disaster preparedness committee installed in the region to address issues such as flooding but he noted that the motion was not heeded by the PPP/C councillors who are in the majority.
Last June, Lethem and communities within the region experienced their worst flooding in years and residents had called on the authorities to adequately address the problem with focus being placed mainly on the relocation of key facilities as well as adequate disaster preparedness plans to prevent a recurrence.
Persons in the region had criticized the authorities over their late response to the disaster as many areas were cut off from the Central Rupununi for days.
Several months later, in early November the government ferried items and commenced widespread distribution of food and clothing while residents including farmers received monetary assistance. The move was criticized by the opposition parties as they charged that it was political bribery in the face of the regional and general elections later that month.
