Little Diamond residents want compensation for damage due to flooding

Apr 30, 2021 News

The home of a resident in Little Diamond that was severely flooded on Monday.

One of the homes of a resident whose furniture were damage by the flood.

Kaieteur News – Residents of Little Diamond and the Little Diamond Squatting Area on the East Bank of Demerara, who were severely impacted by the flooding due to a breach to a dam during a high tide on Monday, are now asking for compensation for the damage and losses they have suffered.
Over two hundred residents are now counting their losses after two feet of water flooded their homes due to the breach in the dam that is being constructed by BK International Inc., part of a sluice project that has been ongoing since 2017. The project has been marred with similar breaches before, but what happened on Monday was worse.
Over the past few days, residents have been appealing with the contractor and the government for any sort of monetary assistance to help cover the expenses of the damages and to replace what was lost during the flood. They have so far been assisted with cleaning and food hampers from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).
Since the project falls under the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), which comes under the Ministry of Agriculture, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha in an invited comment said that the residents should be compensated and that the contractor should make sure that they are. He explained that there is still money left in the contract that still needs to be paid and that he hopes some of the money can be used to assist those who suffered losses. He added that his Ministry will be taking some form of legal approach to ensure that the residents get compensation.
The NDC Chairman, Punit Jaigopaul, indicated to this publication that the residents are satisfied with all the presence of the various ministries and their assurances that the dam is okay. However, he noted the residents are still waiting on whatever assistance the government and BK can deliver.

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