– clogged drains, dense vegetation being the main cause of flooding

2805 households in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) have been seriously affected by flooding. This is according to a flood assessment update released Sunday by the Civil Defense Commission (CDC). Seventeen communities have been severely affected by flood waters in these regions.

First Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar and regional officials in Charity outflow channel

In Region Four, 1590 households from the communities of Nabaclis, Golden Grove Sec C, Nonpareil, Anns Grove, and Victoria – all on the East Coast of Demerara – were affected. On the east bank of Demerara, households in Mocha Arcadia were affected.
In Region Two, 1200 households from Charity Housing Scheme communities, Charity Squatting Area, Dredge Creek, Abrams Creek, Siriki, Cozier Canal, Grand Buxton, David James Scheme, Jacklow Pomeroon, Kabakaburi, Urusara Charity were affected. Over in Region 10, 15 homes in Silver City were affected.

Charity has been hit by severe flooding

The assessments revealed that many areas remained overcrowded even at low tide. It was found that lands could not drain efficiently as many were within basins that were already under water during the December 2020 period, and could no longer absorb excess water. Due to poor drainage in some areas, this was exacerbated.
As floodwaters entered several homes, many were found spared because of their high altitude. It must be noted that residents involved in agriculture would have suffered losses associated with crop damage and some livestock deaths.
The report noted that residents living in the Pomeroon River are accustomed to annual floods that make them more prepared and resilient. There has also been maintenance and upgrading of drainage infrastructure in several areas along the coastline which has resulted in a marked reduction in flood impacts.
Due to concerns about possible disease outbreaks and effects on agriculturally-dependent livelihoods, the Health and Agriculture Ministries moved teams to several communities across the coast and in riverine areas to make assessments and find solutions to address address key concerns.

Issues
In the Charity Housing Scheme, many drains were blocked with vegetation and building materials by homeowners. There was also junk accumulating under bridges. Community roads are in a poor state of repair, with potholes flooded with rainwater. The CDC pointed out that many floods flood quickly as the water drains off the raised lots created by residents and roads. Machines are too heavy or buckets are too big to clean the drains properly.
The situation in the Squatting Charities area is relatively the same. However, the CDC noted that the presence of livestock and animals and the scale of mud that homes sit on are reasons for concern related to possible outbreaks of disease. Apart from that, he said most households use pool toilets that add to the threat.
At Abrams Creek, Upper Pomeroon River, river dams in idle farms were found to be unsupported, thus allowing river water to flow into the lowland farmlands, while in Siriki, there were redundant farms that were not maintained allows flood waters to move freely. along the land, threatening farms already flooded or partially drained.
At the time of the assessment, the water level in Silver City, Linden, had partially retreated. According to the CDC, the community is at the bottom of the place where sand is washed down constantly to secondary drainage. According to the CDC, there is confusion among the council, the District and Neighborhood Democratic Councils, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority about which agency has full responsibility for drainage in that area and others in Linden.
Over at Mocha Arcadia, normal drainage has been disturbed by the Ministry of Housing and Water making in the area of ​​the Junior Canal. The CDC underlined that using pool toilets in Victoria, Anns Grove, Golden Grove, and Nabaclis is a health concern.
In the meantime, since the flood, flood warnings have been issued. Data was also collected from critically affected communities. The CDC has been distributing cleaning hampers and sandbags. City and regional engineers monitor sluices and pumps. The Health and Agriculture Ministries have carried out assessments in key areas affected.

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