– Windsor Castle pump to be transferred to help drain water
By: Indrawattie Natram
On Tuesday PRIME Minister Mark Phillips and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha visited a Charity to assess the flood situation directly, and actions taken included the immediate transfer of the Windsor Castle pump to assist with drainage of the flood water that has been still for several days. In the coming days residents can expect relief packages, while farmers receive supplies to use when the flood ends.
The two ministers lead a team through the flooded streets of the District Two community squat district and have listened to the concerns of affected residents. The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall for more than a week. A charity, most of the region most affected, has been under floodwater since Boxing Day. Rain has been steadily falling ever since, leading to the water staying in apartments and bottom yards.
During one of the interactions, some residents told ministers they had been underwater for about four days. This situation they have explained is a serious threat to their health. Most of the adjacent canals and the Pomeroon River are swollen and residents say building extra sluices at Friendship and Cozier could help ease this situation.
On hearing this, Minister Zulfikar instructed the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) engineers to transfer the pump to Charity immediately. The minister informed residents that although this is an interim measure, key stakeholders such as the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the Neighborhood Charity / Ursara Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC), and central government will co-operate to find a long-term solution long for the Charity. area.
RELIGION
Those residents seriously affected by the flood will receive relief packages from the Ministry of Agriculture. Minister Zulfikar said he had instructed the heads of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the Guyana Livestock Development Association (GLDA), and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Foundation (NAREI) to assess the losses the residents are suffering suffering and to use that knowledge. to compile a report, so that the relief distribution can begin. The affected cash crop farmers are given planting materials; poultry farmers will also receive assistance.
A team will also be sent to the region to further assess the situation. The RDC will monitor Pomeroon areas, where hundreds of acres are said to be under flood waters. A task force has been established in Charity and one for the rest of the region to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis. Meanwhile, the minister used the opportunity to reveal that the Government of Guyana had recently approved $ 7.8 billion for infrastructure improvements across the country. He said he had since noticed that most of the drainage and irrigation (D&I) infrastructures were collapsing and that critical structures had been neglected by the previous administration.
“What we are finding now is, we are seeing D&I structures collapse. We’ve seen it in Wakenaam, Leguan and right on the Essequibo Coast. Kickers and sluice door doors collapsing. We need to make sure we repair these structures, ”he said. PM Phillips later noted that the Civil Defense Commission (CDC) will be visiting the Charity area on Wednesday to further assess the losses that residents have incurred. During the walk, he noted his dissatisfaction with the way vendors dumped trash into the drainage system.
“There are many [that] that needs to be done in terms of not only clearing the spill and koker and pumping the water away, but also a lot of junk accumulating over the years that is choking the area. We therefore expect the RDP to work with the GDC and with the help of central government this can be fixed, ”said the First Minister.
THREE TO HEALTH
Residents living in the squat area said the flood situation meant they were living in constant fear. Their lower flats are overcrowded and many are exposed to “dirty” water flowing out of nearby pool toilets. Monique Edwards, an anxious mother of seven, said her children were sick and vomiting. She explained that she has a small toilet and her yard has been inundated since Boxing Day. This, she said, poses serious health threats to her family. “My kids are vomiting and having diarrhea. Since Boxing Day they have been ill. Immediate help is needed because if the situation doesn’t change then I’m sure people will die, ”Edwards expressed. Another family seriously affected is the Johns. Mervin John, a father of nine, became emotional in reporting that he hasn’t been stunned in days. His family would usually rely on canal water for a shower, but because of the flooding, water is not available for this or other domestic purposes. “I want freshwater to bathe. Me and my kids, we suffer. There has been nothing to eat or drink since the flood, ”said the father.