KINGSTON - Engineer of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Walter Willis today, June 2 reported that water has receded from most of the areas of Georgetown which were inundated following heavy rainfall on Sunday.
Willis noted that three pumps have been repaired and were put into operation on Monday; one on Sussex Street, another at John Fernandes Ltd, repaired by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), and the third at Caneview Avenue, South Ruimveldt.
Willis also pointed out that all sluices are operating with the exception of the one at Lamaha Street which is being repaired, and a privately owned one at Meadow Bank South, as they are completely blocked.
The engineer observed that all the other 11 sluices are working and discharging flood water, and were only closed for a while when the tide turned back and necessitated this action.
In clearing flood water from other areas, Willis noted that for Queenstown, a pump was used to move water over Irving Street from Queenstown into the Vlissingen Road Canal. This pump was being operated by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, and it is responsible for most of the water receding. He noted that whilst the pump has ceased operations for now, it is on standby if the weather changes.
To help residents in the Princes Street area, another pump is being installed at the upper end of the street as there is still some water in that area.
He added that there were still some parts of Albouystown under water today, due to the level of the tide. Willis pointed to the six hours of drainage from 7.30hrs.
Draining continued in the upper North and South Ruimveldt areas which were also affected.Head of the NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth concurred with Willis’ update noting that the pump at the Lamaha Canal has been dismantled and is in the workshop undergoing repairs. He added that this pump is expected to be reinstalled tomorrow.
Wordsworth added too that the NDIA has begun work on the Cummings Canal and excavators are working in Middleton Street.
Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, following his inspection of several key drainage structures in the city on Monday, deemed the neglect of the pumps and outfalls as criminal. This assessment has revealed the shocking state of the drainage system, including the fact that several of the city’s pumps have been down for a while and that the outfall sluices were heavily silted.
Chief Engineer (acting) Ron Eastman explained that six pumps were down for in excess of one year for reasons including mechanical, to facilitate repairs to the discharge pipes and for engine related issues.
Minister Patterson said that at present sourcing funds directly from the Ministries of Infrastructure or Agriculture, for the interventions cannot be done. They are hamstrung by the one-twelfth of current expenditure restriction on both of the ministries, due to not having a budget.
Several other areas were also affected by the flood including the East Coast, West Coast and West Bank following the several hours of rainfall. Pumps belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation were used to assist in pumping out flood water.
Water was discharged through the Cunha, Kofi, and Land of Canaan outfalls while the East Demerara Water Conservancy is being closely monitored since the rise in water level.
