As the rains continue to pound Region Nine, Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud yesterday confirmed that families have been relocated from their homes, while several bridges are under water and part of the recently-rehabilitated Linden to Lethem road was washed away.
Persaud made this disclosure during a statement yesterday in the National Assembly, where Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy also announced that the country is expected to be experience many rainy days over the next three months, with July expected to see the highest amount of rainfall.
According to Persaud, 11 households were evacuated at Sand Creek while at St Ignatius two families moved to higher ground and three were transported to homes of their relatives as requested.
Persaud reported that at Lethem, water is rising but not as rapidly as it did on Wednesday. He said early yesterday morning there was heavy rainfall in the area and coupled with the effects of continued flooding in neighbouring Brazil, the water level continued to rise.
At Tabatinga, he added, water is now in some yards, especially those close to the creeks. He said if the water continues to rise, residents would have to be relocated. “In preparation for that, a shelter has already been identified and mechanisms put in place to accommodate persons…” Persaud said.
A boat was provided yesterday to cross persons at the Lethem/St Ignatius bridge and additional boats would be provided at various points in the area to facilitate the movement of persons across flooded areas, he further said.
Persaud explained that reports received from road users indicate that some of the bridges pose threats to heavy vehicles. He revealed that at the Lethem, St Ignatius and Moco Moco bridges, water is overflowing and quite a few of the approaches are inundated. At the Kumu bridge, the water has overflowed and a boat is expected to be provided to assist with movements. The approach to a small bridge at Manari has been washed away and emergency work by a contractor, Roger King, has commenced.
Meanwhile, the four bridges leading to Karasabai are all under water and part of the newly constructed road was washed away, Persaud said. He added that there was no damage to agricultural crops and livestock and no flooding in the villages and basic foods are available. “There has been no outbreak of illness reported through that sub-district and basic medical supplies are adequate in the health post and in the sub-districts.
No damage to buildings and houses in those villages were reported,” Persaud declared. The Regional Disaster Committee, Persaud added, held its third meeting yesterday and four committees–for communications, logistics, administration and shelter management-were set up and functioning. The police, the army, Red Cross, Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and the Lethem Power Company are participating in the committee and Persaud noted that an office was established at a guesthouse in Lethem for its monitoring and evaluating work.
Persaud added that the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) pump station at Culvert City, which is now flooded, would be shut down should the water continue to rise. He said GWI staff is monitoring the situation. A second pump station at Bon Success, he said, will continue to operate and supply Lethem and its environs. A number of trucks, tanks and volunteers have been identified to provide water to the villagers if necessary. A standby generator is in place in the event that the Lethem Power Company encounters difficulties, the minister added.
Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman suggested to Minister Persaud that whenever an investigatory team is going into the region, it would be wise to have some colleagues from the opposition benches join. “To show that there is of course unanimous support and concerns for the plight of people of Region Nine because the situation does seem quite dire and threatening,” Trotman said.
Meanwhile, Ramsammy said that the country is experiencing the annual May/June rains and the hydromet service is predicting that the next three months are expected to be very wet.
He noted that the overall rainfall averages are expected to be normal for this period, although some areas would see higher amounts of rainfall. In May, it is predicted that there will be just over 275 millimeters of rain, although regions Six and Ten have already experienced rainfall that has exceeded the average.
“We expect 20 rain days in May, in June we expect also 20 rain days, with just over 306 millimeters and in July, which we expect to be the wettest of the three months, we expect 337 millimeters of rain in 22 rain days,” he reported.
Ramsammy also said that the rainy period will coincide with very high tides. Over the last few days, he added, the country has been experiencing very high levels of rainfall in regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten, which has led to some flash flooding in regions Five, Six, Nine and Ten.
He said excavation work is being done in some areas and five additional pumps were deployed in the areas and 150,000 feet of canals are being cleared in 26 areas.
The East Demerara and the Boerasirie conservancies remain at manageable levels, he further said, adding that water is being discharged from the East Demerara Conservancy at the western end.
