The current spell of heavy rainfall followed by flooding across communities will be addressed through a series of interventions planned by the Government to offer relief.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo acknowledged the unusually heavy episode of rainfall currently being experienced in Guyana, resulting in flooding across numerous areas. This, he noted, is actively being addressed by Government to alleviate the burden on affected stakeholders.
“We have made several interventions to alleviate the problems that people are faced with. We’re very conscious of the difficulties people have in their communities with infrastructure and with livelihoods…The Government is planning a series of interventions in these areas. As much as we can do, we cannot prevent the water from the rivers rising and flooding some of these areas, but we’re going to work on alleviating the concerns of the residents and helping them,” the Vice President outlined in a press conference this week.
This week, Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips issued a statement, which indicated that along with assessing the affected communities, Government, through its respective agencies, would deliver food hampers, sanitation hampers, purification tablets, and collapsible one-gallon bottles.
The Health Ministry officials will be available to deal with any flood-related or waterborne disease. Visits to affected communities would have commenced on Wednesday.
A comprehensive update provided by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), indicated that water was receding in certain areas, but rising in others.
Special attention will be paid to Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), where many communities are flooded.
Region Seven has reported a high-water level as a result of the overtopping of the Cuyuni River, and Chenapau in Region Eight is enduring a similar situation owing to the overtopping of rivers there. Reports from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) informed that more than 180 households and 15 farms have been impacted by flooding.
Meanwhile, in Region 10, Rockstone and Speightland are also affected, while reports from Kwakwani indicate that the Berbice River was approximately two feet above the river bank, which has resulted in more than 200 households being affected.
Parts of Regions One, Three, Five and Six are also impacted by the large volume of water.
To alleviate the problems, Central Government; the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and regional bodies have been clearing drains and canals, repairing and maintaining pumps and kokers, and relocating livestock.
Since the beginning of May, Guyana has been subjected to increased rainfall. However, this had not resulted in any major accumulation of water or flooding until recent weeks.
The Hydrometeorological Service had predicted that there would be above-normal rainfall conditions over most of Guyana between May and July. The forecast for this period indicates that the highest rainfall totals and the possibility of flash flooding were expected to peak in May and June.
The last major occurrence of inundation was in June 2021, when torrential rains resulted in mass flooding countrywide. Over 50,000 households were affected, leading Government to activate a combination of relief measures
