Dear Editor,
The disaster caused by the tropical storms in Texas and Louisiana — seen on TV — should be a wake-up call for the Government of Guyana to immediately begin planning and preparing for annual flooding, which affects our country.
We should learn from the Texas disaster as indeed from the many disasters that struck Guyana in the recent past. Guyana has been devastated by intense rainfall at various times during the year and over the last couple of decades. May we be reminded of the recent intense flooding that hit parts of the interior over the last month, displacing people and causing billions in damage to property and infrastructure. Action is needed now; enough with the talk.
The many storms that hit Guyana and the US and other parts of the world show climate change is real, and that one can expect more severe storms and flooding at any time of the year. Thus planning should be ongoing, to protect life and property.
Several Guyanese and other Caribbean people live in the flood-affected areas of Texas and Louisiana, and one hopes that all is well with them. Indeed, one wishes well for all the victims of the storm, irrespective of national origin; Guyanese and other Caribbean people like myself are contributing to relief efforts to assist the victims. The flooding that hit the south of the US is not new or strange; it is an annual phenomenon caused by tropical storms, although this particular storm has perhaps been the worst to have hit Texas.
Guyana (and even neighbouring Trinidad) has been prone to similar flooding. True, Guyana and Trinidad do not face the same ferocity of (hurricane) storms, (being south of the hurricane belt) that annually hits coastal California, Texas, Louisiana or the eastern shore of the US. But Guyana and Trinidad do face annual heavy rainfall. And while the US states do make preparations to brace for the annual hurricanes or major storms, limited measures are taken in Guyana (and Trinidad) to mitigate the effects of similar flooding.
Guyana, like Trinidad, needs a massive works programme to clean drains and build mega reservoirs (conservancies) to collect water. It is the only way to deal with frequent destructive weather patterns that we have been experiencing over the last decade. A tropical storm deluge is no longer an uncommon occurrence; it happens several times in a year, and is no longer predicted. It can happen at any time, as we have experienced in Guyana over the last several years. Instead of waiting for floods and then scramble for money for relief efforts and rehabilitation, or to pump water, we can plan to prevent flooding by managing water flow.
During colonial times, proper action was taken to prevent flooding. There is no reason why it can’t be done now. It is dismaying that not much has been done to protect against flooding, especially when we know flooding is expected during the rainy season. We must learn from our flood experiences as well as from the current one in Texas and Louisiana.
In regard to those affected by flooding in the interior, the people need immediate relief. The Government should alleviate financial losses for a return to normal life similar to what was announced by the US Government – short term housing, food, safe water, health care, social support; and physical protection, especially to the vulnerable (children, women, elderly).
It is indisputable that flooding in various parts of Guyana at various times suggests we need better infrastructure and planning. And since funds are a problem, we should consult with major donor countries for assistance.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
