Harmon pledges gov’t support for villages affected by overtopping

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon yesterday pledged Central Government’s support to the villages on the West Demerara Coast which recently experienced heavy flooding caused by severe overtopping of the sea defences by the Atlantic Ocean.

The Minister was at the time visiting the villages of Leonora, Meten-Meer-Zorg and Uitvlugt, where he met with the Chairman and Councillors of the Neighbourhood Dem-ocratic Councils (NDCs) and residents, and assured them that the Government will provide all the resources at its disposal to ensure that normalcy is restored to the communities after the recent flooding, according to a press release from the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP).

Harmon first visited the Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC) Shelter at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground, followed by a stop at the Uitvlugt NDC office, the MoTP statement said. At the initial stop, Harmon reassured the audience that the Government is committed to bringing relief to the residents.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that all citizens are given equal distribution of services and treated in a just and equitable manner,” Harmon was quoted as saying, in the media release.

At the Uitvlugt NDC Office, Harmon met with the Chairman Vishal Ambedkar and several of the councillors and village representatives to discuss the impact of the flooding and the availability of resources.

“I came to respond to some calls made by some parts of the community that they were not being properly resourced by Central Government so I came here this afternoon. There were some concerns about resources but it wasn’t a matter of not resourcing them, but a matter of timings for things to be done so I have given some guidance as to how the matter should be dealt with,” Harmon was quoted in the release as saying.