Bourda vendors in crisis

May 22, 2026 News

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…as flooding, garbage drive customers away 

(Kaieteur News) – For decades, vendors at Bourda Market have battled flooding and garbage buildup during heavy rainfall, but many now say conditions are worsening and driving customers away, resulting in mounting business losses.

After weeks of increased rainfall, sections of the market remain inundated, with one vendor describing the area as “pallet city” because vendors are forced to use wooden pallets to move above the floodwaters.

One grocery vendor who has been doing business there for the past 25 years shared that most times, officials who visit the market do so at nights hence stallholders are deprived of engaging in meaningful discussions with them. “We need the engineer for the market; that is the man we have to talk to,” she expressed.

Pointing to a water-level stains on a nearby wall, she said she was forced to close for an entire week recently because vending in the floodwaters became impossible. The issue has persisted for years without any workable solution, she noted, despite repeated promises by authorities to restructure the market. She blamed the flooding primarily on blocked drains, especially the main drain along North Road, which she said is frequently clogged. While she observed that the South Road canal is always flowing, she described the North Road drainage system and surrounding drains as the market’s biggest problem.

She also expressed frustration over the financial burden vendors continue to face despite having to contend with such poor conditions. “We still have to pay stall rentals before the 15th of each month, otherwise we have to pay arrears,” she said.

During periods of flooding, she explained, the market effectively becomes “a pallet city,” forcing vendors to pay additional money to rent pallets so they can move around above the water. “I have to pay someone $1,000 to bring the pallets and then to remove them in the afternoon when I am leaving. I also have to make sure that the pallets are chained. All of this we have to go through,” she expressed.

Another longstanding vendor told Kaieteur News that she has been coping with flooding and a pallet situation for the past month. She believes that the flooding is caused by backed-up water with nowhere to drain, though some cleaning activity had recently begun in the area. Having vended at Bourda Market for more than 30 years, she said the conditions have severely affected her business because customers are reluctant to enter the flooded market to shop. She also raised concerns about the health risks vendors face from prolonged exposure to the unsanitary conditions, noting that many return home needing cough syrup and other medication. She called on the Mayor and City Council to clean the drains, arguing that improved drainage maintenance would significantly ease the flooding problems vendors continue to endure.

A third vendor, who said she has been operating in the Bourda Green area for the past 10 years, complained that flooding and garbage problems at the market have worsened in recent years due to poor drainage maintenance. She argued that authorities, including the Ministry of Public Works, could do more to address the situation by cleaning drains and gutters to allow water to flow properly.

In addition to flooding, this vendor also highlighted concerns about sanitation and security issues at the market, claiming that drug users frequently create unsanitary conditions around vendors’ stalls. She explained that walking through floodwaters daily while wearing long boots has become physically exhausting and is affecting her health. By the time she returns home after work, she said she is often too tired to complete household chores because of the strain caused by enduring the flooded conditions throughout the day.

The vendor called on authorities to provide relief for vendors, arguing that if leaders genuinely care about citizens, more action should be taken to address the longstanding issues affecting the market. “Bring some relief because of the love for people. You say you love the people, then do something for the people,” she expressed.

Meanwhile, Acting Town Clerk Candace Nelson told this publication yesterday that officers from City Hall visited the area last week and carried out drainage-related works, but during another one of her visits two nights ago, she observed that water was still present in the Bourda Green area. She noted, however, that water levels in the nearby canals were also very high, preventing effective drainage because there was nowhere for the water to flow.

According to her, the city engineer has since been instructed to revisit the area to determine how best relief can be provided to affected vendors, noting that officials have to wait for the canal water levels to recede before determining whether blockages are contributing to the flooding and what remedial action can be taken.

Nelson acknowledged that garbage accumulation remains a major factor contributing to the flooding problems at the market, explaining that the council has already deployed a small excavator to the area to assist with cleaning drains and removing garbage. However, she said that when heavy silt buildup in sections of the drainage system was uncovered, the excavator could not yet be used for desilting because the nearby roadway was recently paved and requires additional time to properly cure. In the meantime, she noted that workers are carrying out manual cleaning efforts to remove blockages and improve the flow of water.

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• Bourda Market, Bourda vendors, flooding, garbage buildup, unsanitary conditions

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