Latest update April 3rd, 2025 7:45 PM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

An annoyance most unwanted

Apr 30, 2013 Editorial

 

 

These past days has seen a recurring issue, the overtopping of the seawalls and the flooding of the contiguous areas. Earlier this year, the overtopping was a spectacle. People left their homes to witness the waves as they towered over the seawall and then came crashing down on the other side.
This time around the overtopping was not a spectacle but an inconvenience. As is always the case the highway became impassable so motorists had to be diverted to the Railway Embankment. One is now left to wonder what would have happened had the government, when it was constructing the highway, opted to surface the railway embankment.
That having been said, one must now wonder whether the government could not have taken measures to protect the residents against the present overtopping. In some locations there are drains that would channel the water away from the residences. If it is a case of aesthetics then it would mean that the government has placed beauty over protection.
But there are other ways of leading water away from communities. Some societies place a high premium on storm drains. These are culverts constructed underground and connected to the various households. Guyana has the technology to construct such underground systems. This is what was done with the sewerage.
When the affected residents think about days past they would be surprised that they are affected by the waters from the Atlantic. Many would say that this is a novelty unless there was a breach. The authorities would say that the overtopping and consequent flooding is as a result of climate change that has spawned global warming.
However, any such effect of global warming would have been more gradual and not as rapid as this seems to be the case.  So there must be another reason, something that the authorities who are responsible for monitoring the weather would have charted.
One cannot blame the people for constructing their homes where they are now. They have been there long before the new seawall was constructed.  And the authorities should have seen the need for a relief drain when they constructed the new highway. But one can only assume that someone was either being cheap or shortsighted.
Surely this pattern of overtopping will occur at least two other times this year and the people can expect to collect more silt on their floors. They can expect to be replacing their floors and those who have electric points at ground level must be prepared for expensive rewiring. Since the neighbourhood is affluent, perhaps the authorities expect the people to spend their own money on flood protection measures such as building concrete walls around their property.
However, that is not a practical solution. Suffice it to say that there was no warning. Usually, the government would warn of impending high tides and the possibility of flooding. This was not done in this case. One must conclude that the people entrusted with this task were either not working or simply could not be bothered.
This time around there was significant damage. Parked cars were particularly hard hit because salt water is no lover of engines and vehicle parts.  As Works Minister Robeson Benn has said, none of the people who suffered loss or damage can expect any compensation from the government. For one, the flooding was not caused by the government or the state. Yet one must question the failure of the government to protect the people.
In the case of one location, in the midst of the flood the government discerned that a drain leading water away from the community was clogged. Obviously, the government or the regional authorities no longer patrol communities to assess the situation pertaining to the improvement of the community. For example, two years ago the government found that many waterways were blocked or clogged. Immediately Central Government released some $800 million to clear drains and other waterways and to take measures to prevent flooding.
Perhaps sporadic flooding by an encroaching Atlantic does not deserve such attention.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 31st, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

 

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Rotary Club of New Amsterdam Childhood Obesity Prevention Inter Secondary School Tapeball Cricket competition continues

Rotary Club of New Amsterdam Childhood Obesity Prevention Inter...

Apr 03, 2025

Kaieteur Sports- When the competition continued there were action at the Rose Hall Community Centre in East Canje and the Berbice High School Grounds. There were wins for Berbice Educational...
Read More
Demerara beat Berbice by 6 wickets after Apple half-century blitz

Demerara beat Berbice by 6 wickets after Apple...

Apr 03, 2025

DCB Under19 Inter-Association Cricket Tournament 2025 begins

DCB Under19 Inter-Association Cricket Tournament...

Apr 03, 2025

Tagore Memorial Secondary School benefits from cricket gear, courtesy of the Bheer family

Tagore Memorial Secondary School benefits from...

Apr 03, 2025

Hurricanes knock Eagles off course despite Anderson gritty 77*

Hurricanes knock Eagles off course despite...

Apr 03, 2025

Peter’s Hall, Herstelling ‘A’ advance to EBDCA Division II 40-Over semis

Peter’s Hall, Herstelling ‘A’ advance to...

Apr 03, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]