Stop throwing garbage in waterways – Harmon tells Albouystown residents

Flooding

As heavy rainfall continues, several communities along the coastal regions of Guyana have recorded high water levels, and several have been completely flooded.
In Georgetown, several sections of Alexander Village and Albouystown have been inundated as the persistent rainfalls continue.
On Saturday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, met with Albouystown residents to distribute 300 sanitation hampers. During this distribution exercise, Harmon said the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), which is responsible for coordinating disaster relief efforts, will be working to assist the affected communities.
While commending residents for their efforts in assisting each other during their time of discomfiture, Harmon nonetheless urged that they keep garbage, including plastic bottles and plastic bags, out of the drains.
“I must say you guys have been doing a wonderful job in assisting one another, but I came this morning (Saturday) and I saw pampers and a lot of garbage around the area. We must keep our trenches and kokers clean,” Harmon said.
The State Minister, along with Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Greene and Councillor of Constituency Number 10, Malcolm Ferreira, gave Albouystown residents a quantity of bleach, soap power, Jeyes Fluid, garbage bags, anti-bacterial soaps, mops and brooms.
Minister Harmon told Albouystown residents during a brief meeting that a first-hand assessment of the situation was need to determine damages and needs in the area, and to assure residents that the Government is actively pursuing relief solutions.

There have been minimal reports of flooding in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), with reports of five inches of water being accumulated in the North and South Ruimveldt areas, as well as minor flooding occurring along the East Coast.
Harmon, during a post-cabinet press briefing, indicated that the National Emergency Monitoring System remains activated on a 24-hour basis, with the ten administrative regions being actively monitored.
However, communities along the West Bank of Demerara, including Canal No. 1, have recorded threatening levels of water inflow.
Residents of lower Canal Number One have blamed the regional authorities who they claimed failed them with respect to proper drainage in the area.
Additionally, the residents are saying that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), which is responsible for the maintenance of the main canal, has not cleared it since late November, hence the reason for the current flooding in the area.
Canal Number One Polder has been flooded since December 20, with the water receding during low tide — which is mainly in the nights — but returning to threatening levels in the mornings.