Water drained off from several villages along the East Coast Demerara yesterday, while some sections of central Georgetown maintained their lake-like appearance.
Checks in the Albouys-town, South and North Ruim-veldt showed evidence of heavy flooding. In the Albouystown area, almost every street was completely covered with water.
Some residents said they believed the malfunctioning pump at Princes Street was responsible for the excess water on the land not being drained off in a timely manner. However, others said the piles of styrofoam boxes and plastic bottles in the canals and trenches were responsible for the water on the land.
The entire Sussex Street was swollen and some sections of the canal were covered with plastic bottles and styrofoam boxes.
Residents in the Albouystown area said the situation was frustrating. One resident said it only took a few hours of rain for the entire area to be inundated.
Mayor Hamilton Green had said on Friday that all pumps in and around the city were in working order except for the pump at Princes Street. He said the problem there was a technical one that should be corrected some time over the weekend.
Over in the North and South Ruimveldt some streets were covered with up to two inches of water following heavy rainfall on Friday night. However, they was no significant flooding in people’s homes.
Meanwhile the situation on the East Coast has improved as residents have reported that the water has begun to recede, which is a big relief for them. Checks at Annandale, La Bonne Intention, Good Hope and other villages revealed that the water had indeed receded. However, some residents said they were still fearful of what would happen if the heavy rainfall continues as was predicted by the Hydrometeoro-logical Office. President Bharrat Jagdeo held an emergency press briefing on Friday last where he said the relevant authorities were fully prepared for the anticipated rainy season. The Mayor and City Council had reported on the same day that it was also prepared as all of its technical equipment was fully functioning. However, farmers and persons living in low-lying areas have been advised by the Ministry of Agriculture to take all necessary precautions.
