As the country transitions from a prolonged period of drought and begins to experience heavy bouts of rainfall, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council said it is preparing itself to mitigate and manage any possibility of flooding in the capital.
With the May/June rainy season approaching, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council is preparing to once again deal with the likelihood of flooding in the capital city.
Mayor Alfred Mentore has assured that the council has a plan to deal with any possibility of flooding. In fact, the council has met and discussed the issue of flooding mainly in the capital city, during its monthly statutory meetings. This plan includes dispatching city engineers around the city to inspect and rectify any faulty drainage works.
Additionally, the mayor also pointed to the concerns regarding the number of infrastructural projects in the city, and the impact those will have on flooding. He noted in an interview that “Many of the canals themselves have been blocked up. Many of the canals have debris or they have stopped the water from flowing. Now you’re having a wet season, what I’ve asked the engineers to do is to be prepared to put systems in place in the absence of those contractors not doing their job.”
Mentore, emphasised “we are always prepared. But we could also use additional resources and if persons, citizens pay up their taxes, the businesses pay up their taxes, we would be in a better financial position to be able to address these issues.” “But with whatever we have and the staffing we have and the engineering department, the drainage engineer, we’ve identified key areas that we have to keep afloat as well as cleared and clean. However, the Mayor note that One of his major concerns is the number of construction jobs that the government, through the various contractors, are doing currently which may cause conflicted as the engineers ready to begin works.
Georgetown is known for constantly being under water whenever there is prolonged rainfall. The current PPP/C administration has blamed poor management of the city by the PNC-dominated town council. Further, during an impromptu visit to pump stations in the city some time ago, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had found some pumps not working and some staff sleeping and not attending to the pumps as required.
Since the PPP/C administration assumed office in 2020, central government has played an integral role in managing the city’s infrastructure during times of flooding. The government has handed out several contracts to contractors within various communities to ensure drains are cleared and clean on a regular basis.
