Mayor also blames Georgetown residents for flooding

“When flooding happens, [it] is not only the Mayor and City Council, [it] is our people also contributing to it,” Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine said on Monday as he pointed accusing fingers at the residents of Georgetown.

Pointing out that City Hall is not the only party to be blamed for flooding, Narine, during the Council’s Statutory Meeting on Monday, called on residents of the city to desist from littering as he lamented the fact that the recent flash floods in the city could have been worse.
While making this appeal, the Mayor revealed that during a recent cleanup activity in Georgetown, a host of items such as sofa sets and old pieces of cloth were among other things that clogged the drainage system.
“So far we were able to get off most of the water and the reason why the water was in the city as well for a very long time, many of the areas was clogged with plastic bottles, plastic bags, old cloths and even chair! Chair! We had to get and get people to send down to take out these things them,” Narine said.
Further, the Mayor said he understands that several other areas, such as the East Coast of Demerara were affected by accumulated water. He highlighted the work of the Council’s Deputy Engineer, who was reportedly working tirelessly to ensure the water runs off in a timely manner.
Narine called on residents in the city to work along with the Council to keep the city in a “proper condition”.
Last weekend, Guyana Times visited parts of the capital city where it was observed that several inches of water had accumulated in key sections, including the environs of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
In other sections, the trenches and canals could not have been differentiated from the roads due to the buildup of water around the city.
The Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, also told this publication on Wednesday that drainage works in the capital city were ongoing to ensure that floodwaters recede as the Ministry prepares for upcoming spring tides.
This is although some $163 million was spent in April by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to assist in reducing the occurrence of flooding.
In April, Guyana Times reported on the costly project undertaken by the NDIA to reduce flooding in Georgetown.
It was revealed that three high-capacity mobile drainage pumps would be installed at Church Street, Sussex Street, and Ruimveldt to assist in reducing flooding.
The NDIA stated that the contracts have been approved for the cleaning of the city’s drainage channels, with manual cleaning operations totalling $71.9 million and mechanical cleaning operations totalling $91.6 million.
However, in May, when the rainy season kicked in, several sections of the capital city were flooded despite the costly works. A study conducted by a European firm, Vivid Economics, had found that some $1.3 billion is lost every year in Georgetown as a result of flooding.
The lead consultant from the agency, Charlie Dixon, shared a few findings during his presentation, which indicated that the vast sum is not only is a reason for concern presently but also in years to come, as it is expected to increase significantly with oil production.