Assiduous efforts are being made to quell wildfires in sections of Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
According to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the wild ire crisis is a result of the continuous dry spell that has swept the nation.
The CDC said it was working to manage and extinguish the wildfires in conjunction with the Guyana Fire Service (GFS); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Protected Areas Commission (PAC) and regional authorities.
Just under two weeks ago, the Prime Minister had instructed the CDC to coordinate a response mission to aid impacted villages as they combat the blazes.
This mission, the CDC said, is a cohesive effort, which includes the support of several Government agencies. Several communities in the Rupununi area have been hit by wildfires, and though there is significant structural damage, there has been no loss of life as a result.
Most recently, Kumu and Moco Moco in the Region Nine area have been affected. A multi-agency team responded at Kumu to a massive wildfire that was spreading closer to the workers’ site of the Kumu Hydro Installation on March 11. The villagers had commenced firefighting using the village tractor affixed with a 450-gallon water tank, a water pump, hoses, and buckets. The GFS joined subsequently while quelling the blaze at strategic points, thus controlling the spread. The operation lasted about eight hours.
According to the CDC, fire and smoke continue to rage along the Kanuku Mountains, in small parts of Lethem and several other areas.
Heavy rainfall on March 7, the CDC noted, aided in quenching the scorched earth of the Rupununi, but that aid was short-lived.
“Several villages have received firefighting gear and other relief items as the crisis continues, while auxiliary firefighters have been activated to lend support to the Region Nine Fire Service Station. The CDC, along with other agencies, maintains a presence in the Rupununi as the situation unfolds,” the CDC said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), the CDC said that there have been reports of smoke emanating from neighbouring Suriname, as they too are experiencing similar wildfire circumstances. Schedules for school have been altered and residents there continue to remain vigilant.
