Govt to construct fixed pump station at Charity to alleviate flooding
– engineers to redesign area to accommodate roads for easy access
President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday visited the Region Two community of Charity, on the Essequibo Coast, to assess the flood situation there following heavy downpours on Monday.
Several areas along the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) were flooded on Monday, thus resulting in the closure of businesses. On Tuesday, President Ali and a team visited the area and interacted with the affected residents, listening to their concerns and promising his Government’s full support to help them return to normalcy.
President Dr Irfaan Ali assessing flood-affected areas in Region Two
Accompanied by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha; Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Lionel Wordsworth; and other officials, the Head of State promised that a permanent pump station would soon be erected at Charity – one of the affected areas – to drain water from low-lying land and thus reduce the severity of flooding.
“In relation to the flooding, we are now investing in a fixed pump station here…”, President Ali related.
Further, he told residents that engineers would be tasked with redesigning the layout of the area, so that roads can be built to improve accessibility to homes. He also said that in order to do so, there must be cooperation from residents.
“I can tell you now that it will be difficult…once there is a will in the community and the entire community wants the area to be regularised and are willing to make the necessary changes, then we can find a way”, the President has said.
“Ninety percent of this is in your hands. I am sending the technical people, I am going to tell them to put down the paals and issue the notice; it is just to get the people in the community to comply with the notices. You guys have to come together, as the community, and decide with the planners where will be the main road and where will be the road network,” the President has said.
“I don’t want you to live like this; I want you to get proper roads, but you can’t get proper roads unless we do what is right,” the President explained.
A few days ago, the Hydromet Office announced that wetter-than-usual rainfall conditions are expected across all regions of Guyana for the months of January 2022 to November 2023.
