WILL FLOODING BE A THING OF THE PAST?

Jun 21, 2015 Editorial

Any doubts about the advent of the rainy season in Guyana were promptly erased a few weeks ago. The country, including the hinterland, was drenched with heavy rains that resulted in severe flooding. Some parts of the city were flooded as well.
However, there are some good and not too good news for the citizens, especially for those residing in the city and in low lying areas.
According to Guyana Meteorological Service, this year’s rainy season is expected to be the same as last year’s but with more flash flooding in the urban and coastal areas. In any event, the nation must brace itself for the annual ritual of flash-floods in urban centres as was evidenced in the city on numerous occasions, or deep.
In the case of the low-lying agricultural regions, this is not good news for the thousands of cash crop farmers and livestock owners.
The first real rains of this year’s rainy season came with steady, moderate showers. Within hours, Georgetown and other parts of the coast, including the Essequibo coast were inundated, so much so that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure was overwhelmed.
Since the turn of the 21stcentury, flooding of the main streets in Georgetown and those that adjoin it seems to be a permanent feature, Things became worse when the PPP government deprived the City Council of the ability to deal with. No money was forthcoming. Whenever the rainfall is really heavy and widespread, flooding will extend across much of the country, often with disastrous consequences to property, livestock and agriculture products, as occurred in 2005 and after.
The truth is that the David Granger-led APNU+AFC Coalition Government literally came into office just a few days before the rains came on the night of May 31, 2015. Residents in Georgetown and its suburbs awoke to the all too familiar and depressing sight of their homes, business places and government buildings, including the Ministry of the Presidency under more than a foot of water.
The first act of the government was to check the sluices and kokers, close schools and urge the citizens to protect themselves, their family and livestockfrom further damage. Accompanied by a group of engineers and technocrats, the newly appointed Minister of Public Infrastructure toured parts of the city that were flooded, examined the problems and proffered solutions.
Ten years after the worst flood in 2005 and hundreds of millions of dollars spent to purchase larger pumps and repair some kokers and sluices by the previous government, yet the city and many other parts of the country continue to flood.
Many are fed-up and are asking some tough questions: What actions are being taken by the new government to reduce flooding? When will flooding be something of the past?
Experts have agreed that a multi-million-dollar drainage and irrigation system is needed to reduce or eliminate flooding in Georgetown and the suburbs and make it a thing of the past. However, neither money nor the government alone can put an end to flooding, some of which are man-made. In one way or another, everyone has contributed to the flooding which has disrupted their lives and have destroyed infrastructure, properties and livestock.
Therefore, everyone has to take some responsibility for the indiscriminate littering and the discarding of tens of thousands of plastic beverage and food containers that make flooding seemingly intractable. But with mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya being among the hazards posed by these floods, the people must be particularly careful about their health and be mindful as to where they throw their garbage.
For more than a decade, the previous government has failed to introduce and implement measures that would have facilitated the disposal and/or collection and recycling of plastic waste. Unless garbage containers are placed on the streets within easy reach and are emptied frequently, indiscriminate littering will continue, as will widespread flooding.

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