GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jul 16 2015 – Several parts of the nation’s capital are under water this morning following heavy and persistent rainfall over the past 24 hours.
Downtown areas including Robb and Regent Streets, Carmichael and Church Streets, Quamina and Middle Streets are all under flood waters that are more than six inches high in most parts.
Additionally a number of residential areas and housing schemes are also under flood waters.
The flood waters started to swamp city areas just after 6 o’ clock last evening and got higher just after midnight and early this morning.
At the Kitty pump station, the main pumps there were working to capacity but offered very little relief to affected residents.
A number of villages along the East Coast of Demerara were also flooded. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure in a statement at 12:14 this morning said between 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm yesterday, there was 63 mm of rainfall in Georgetown and approximately 100mm of rainfall on the lower East Coast of Demerara.
The Ministry noted that all sluices were opened at 7:00 pm last evening and stayed open for a 6 to 7 hour period.
The Ministry also reported that all pumps are operational. More heavy rainfall is predicted over the next 12 hours.
The Government Information Agency never issued a weather advisory until 5:21pm last evening. By that time, the rain had been pouring for hours and some parts of the city were already beginning to flood.
One of the major problems facing many areas continues to be the condition of several canals and trenches. Clogged trenches and canals with vegetation and silt have been contributing to the flood problems as the water slowly recedes because of the ongoing weather pattern.
Back in May, just after the new government took office, heavy rainfall resulted in flooding. A special team was set up to examine the drainage situation in the city. That team is still doing its work. (News Source)
