STANDING IN THE MUD WITH A LAPTOP IN OUR HANDS

Dec 10, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The rainy season in December was never always this messy.
They say that the rains are more intense these days, but those who have the years under their belt will know that there is nothing unusual about the amount of rain we are experiencing at this time.
The problems that the rains are causing are also not new. Flooding is not a new phenomenon during the rainy season. There always was flooding. The rains fell in the past like it did now, and though there was some flooding, the place quickly dried out leaving everything fresh and green in a few days.
These days that freshness is not there. After the storm there is the slush. These days because of extremely poor drainage, the slightest downpour leads to accumulation on the land and the whole scenery is displeasing to the eye. It is muddy and slushy all around.
This is certainly not good for the image of our country, especially at this time when so many people look forward to returning home for the holidays. What they are returning home to is a great deal of mud, and this is not something that people look forward to. We need to get things right not just for the image of our country but also for the well-being of the hundreds of citizens who reside in Guyana and who deserve better.
A serious attempt therefore needs to be made to look at our internal drainage systems to see what can be done to improve them. It is all well and good to speak about the number of pumps that have been installed and the clearing of kokers and outfall channels. The fact is, however, that despite the billions that have been spent on these works, internal and secondary drainage canals remain in a poor state and this is creating slushy conditions in almost all communities.
The responsibility for these canals falls on neighborhood democratic councils and municipalities. But they obviously lack the sort of resources to deal with the situation, and therefore, while great strides are being made in dealing with major drainage works to prevent flooding, the ironic situation is that households are still facing a terrible situation because of silted-up secondary drains and canals.
Some effort was made to deal with this problem, years ago, when community-based gangs were formed to engage in enhancement exercises. Workers were paid $25,000 per week to undertake cleaning works on the canals and to generally keep the surroundings tidy.
It is unfortunate that this project has tapered off, because as history has shown in Guyana, one of the recurring mistakes that we make is to start to clean our drains and then not continue to maintain them, with the result that a few months after the work has to be done all over again.
The government should recognize that they will obtain value for money by keeping their community-cleaning gangs going all year round. It will be money well spent because not only will drains be kept clean, but it will eventually lead to reduced flooding and crop losses.
If in every village five persons can be employed all year round to undertake maintenance work on the canals and drains, then that group can ensure that the resident drainage system is kept clear and flowing, thus allowing for quick drainage during heavy rains. We will have cleaner surroundings and hundreds of permanent jobs will be created.
The results would be that citizens would begin to take pride in their own surroundings when they see efforts being made to keep the community clean. And this will lift the spirits of all Guyanese and make our country look so much better when visitors arrive.
So this is something that needs to be looked at. There are many persons, especially women, who want to work. They will come out and do the job. It will provide them with an honest income, while at the same time allowing them to contribute to the well-being of their communities. It may cost the government a few hundreds of millions each year, but that will be money that will be well spent, because there will be reduced losses and a better environment for all.
One safeguard, however, is that these groups have to be properly supervised. If they are not properly supervised, they will slack on the job and then the whole enterprise would be for the worse.
It is something worth thinking about, more so now during this rainy season when one sees the slush and mud all around as a result of accumulation of water on the land. We can do better. How can our leaders be speaking about cutting-edge technology and a laptop for every home when we are standing in mud?

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STANDING IN THE MUD WITH A LAPTOP IN OUR HANDS

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