Flooding in Reg 10: “This has been happening for years, but this is the worst” – Linden resident

– as over 300 households affected

Over 300 households and several farmlands in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) have been severely affected by flood waters that have accumulated from persistent rainfall over the last two days.
Among the areas affected are Wismar, Mackenzie, Christianburg, West Watooka, Hymara Creek, and Green Valley. Rockstone has also been impacted by rising water levels in the Essequibo River, and at least one family has temporarily evacuated their home.

This information has been provided by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), which is currently assisting those affected.
In an interview with Guyana Times, Linden residents shared that while the issue of poor drainage has been a norm in the mining town, this year’s rainy season has resulted in “the worst” flooding they have ever experienced.
Ronnel Gonsalves related that this year’s flooding has been significantly worse than what had obtained in previous years, and many of his assets have been severely damaged.

He explained that before this May/June rainy season began, he had taken precautionary measures to safeguard his assets against such losses. Notably, he had invested in rehabilitation works on his home, and had even raised the lower flat of his house to a higher height.
He disclosed that floodwater in his home is almost at his knees, and he is almost six feet tall.
“Basically furniture, clothing, shoes, electrical appliances, that’s more or less the whole list, and I estimate damages to be roughly over a million,” he has said.
He added that requests for compensation have not as yet been made.
A mother of two: a 5-week-old baby and a 2-year-old, who resides at Third Ally in Wismar, Linden, highlighted that flooding is a normal occurrence in the area during the May/June rainy season, and this is the second time her apartment has been flooded.
“In August of last year, my husband and I worked the night shift, and when we came home the morning, everything was in the water,” she disclosed.
Sharing how this recent flood has affected her and her family, she said, “We lost a lot, even down to the foodstuff was damaged. I have a five-month-old baby and a two-year-old, so, after the flood, I had to move and come at my mom.”
Further, she noted that they had not received any relief, and claimed that although officials were in the area, they did not stop to interact with residents.
“They showed no interest, they just drove through and didn’t interact with residents. My husband was at home, because he (was going) to clean up and stuff. And he was at home, and he said he was looking out for them to show them the damages, but they didn’t stop in the neighbourhood,” she is contending.
With adverse weather conditions intensifying every year, residents are calling on the Government to put necessary systems in place to eliminate flooding in their communities.
Linden Mayor Sharma Solomon has said the severe flooding and erosion have caused significant damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure, leaving many facing hardships and uncertainty.
“The recent floods have exposed the deficiencies in our drainage systems, the inadequacy of our erosion control measures, and the overall fragility of our infrastructure, with the need for studies of drainage networks across the town. These problems are not new; they are the result of years of underinvestment and neglect,” he added.
He, nevertheless, has called for “a comprehensive review of our current disaster preparedness and response strategies (in order) to ensure that such situations do not occur again”. This review, he added, should meaningfully involve stakeholders such as the Municipality, RDC, experts, and community representatives, and the objective should be to develop a robust and coordinated approach to future crises.
Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has dispatched a team to Region 10 to conduct a thorough assessment of the affected communities and to deliver cleaning supplies to the Regional Authorities. Other Government agencies are also on the ground providing mitigative measures to the residents.