Time to prepare for the rainy season

Oct 23, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

As the expected rainy season approaches in December, it is evident that the challenges of flooding across Georgetown have already begun. Just this past Tuesday, following a brief but heavy downpour, not one lasting for hours; several areas in the city, particularly South Georgetown, experienced significant flooding in yards and streets. This early incident signals what lies ahead if urgent and coordinated action is not taken.

It is deeply concerning that the government continues to demonstrate a lack of preparedness. For years, the City of Georgetown has been deprived of the critical financial and technical resources needed to conduct routine maintenance works, such as clearing drains of weeds, maintaining parapets, and keeping alleyways functional. Instead of supporting the City Council’s legitimate mandate, central authorities appear more focused on consolidating political control, even assuming roles that rightfully belong to the city’s management body. This includes the direct awarding of contracts, actions that seem designed more to win political favour than to ensure sustainable and effective urban management.

While it is commendable that employment opportunities are being provided to citizens, proper mechanisms, oversight, and engineering standards must guide such projects to ensure their effectiveness and longevity. For instance, ongoing works along Princess Street, where the southern drain between St. Stephen Street and Haley Street has been downgraded, have already caused major concern. Residents previously faced flooding during rainfall, but with the canal’s reduced capacity, the situation has now worsened. Tuesday’s rainfall provided a stark glimpse of what is likely to come in December 2025; more intense and damaging flooding for residents in that area.

The canals currently being downsized were originally constructed many decades ago, based on the landmass and topography of Georgetown at that time. Those designs were informed by careful planning and knowledge of the city’s drainage needs. Today, however, without the benefit of feasibility studies or public consultations with residents and the elected local authority, the Central Government is proceeding with works as it pleases. This approach undermines participatory governance and disregards the principles of local democracy. What we are witnessing is not democratic local governance, it is local bullyism, where central interference replaces collaboration and respect for institutional mandates.

Similarly, internal road works conducted in the Cemetery several months ago between; Cemetery Road (east) and St. Stephen Street (west) have contributed to increased vulnerability. The new roads were built at a higher elevation than adjoining secondary roads, resulting in poor water runoff and recurrent flooding. The Le Repentir Cemetery itself is likely to be adversely affected, as these infrastructural inconsistencies disrupt the natural drainage patterns of the area.

Additionally, ongoing construction on Sussex Street, from Mandela Avenue to St. Stephen Street, raises further concern. Residents of Albouystown, West La Penitence, and Castello are expected to face similar hardships as those already being experienced along Princess Street and its environs. Importantly, this situation runs counter to Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which seeks to ensure “availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030. If Guyana is to genuinely achieve this goal, the current pace and style of governance, marked by exclusion and politicization, make it highly improbable. Effective drainage and sanitation systems are not optional; they are fundamental to achieving clean water, healthy living conditions, and climate resilience.

The time for playing petty politics with the lives and welfare of our people must come to an end. Flooding, poor drainage, and inadequate maintenance are not merely infrastructural failures, they are failures of governance and leadership that endanger public health, livelihoods, and sustainable national development. I therefore call upon the Central Government, particularly the Ministries of Public Works and Local Government, to work collaboratively with the Georgetown City Council. The focus must be on proper engineering assessments, transparent procurement, and adequate funding for maintenance and drainage management. The safety, health, and well-being of residents must not be compromised for political expediency.

The December rains will soon arrive. Let us not wait until the city is once again under water before meaningful action is taken.

Yours faithfully,
Annette Ferguson

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• Annette Ferguson, Letters, Rainy season

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