Dear Editor,
For the last 15 years I have resided in E.R. Burrowes Street, Festival City, Georgetown. Over the years of residence in this area, it is common to experience a flooded street after even a very short period of rainfall. However, the situation has now worsened to the extent that both E.R. Burrowes and Hummingbird Street, Festival City remain under water long after the rains have stopped. This is more severe in the eastern sections of these streets, particularly since some segments of these streets have subsided over the years.
As I write, the water level in the eastern section of E.R. Burrowes Street and Hummingbird Street is notably high. In addition to being very unsightly, the stagnant water is mossy and foul smelling. Residents traversing the area on bicycles and motor cycles many times experience serious skidding to the extent that some end up falling in the stagnant water. Included in this group is also the postal service mail delivery staff. Given the persistent flooded streets, taxi services are known to increase their charges once the name Festival City is mentioned. Certainly, this situation is far from wholesome for the community. It has serious potential environmental health and safety implications. Additionally, it can also be quite depressing.
While we heard of many promises and public statements made to comprehensively address the issue of flooding in the Festival City community, to date the problem remains and is actually getting worse. In this regard, I wish to refer to the letter writer who wrote in the January 23, 2017 issue of the Kaieteur News pointing out the degeneration of Festival City. Sadly, while our President talks about building wholesome communities, the degeneration of Festival City has continued. We residents feel a sense of neglect by those who are in authority and in a position to address our concerns. On May 29, 2017 for example, residents of the community dispatched a letter outlining their concerns to the Ministry of the Presidency, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the Ministry of Communities and the Georgetown City Council (copy attached). There was no response to this letter. The community has an elected representative for the area on the Georgetown City Council but given our feeling of persistent neglect, we are left to wonder what role this individual plays in community affairs.
We noted the notable improvement in drainage in central Georgetown and the consequential reduction in the impact of floods in the City. However, in the case of Festival City we still pray for relief from our flooding nightmare. This letter represents yet another plea to those in authority to address our concerns in a manner whereby we can experience notable relief from the situation of bad drainage and flooded streets we face as a community.
Yours faithfully,
Rawle Edinboro
Resident of Festival City
