Persistent rain since Saturday along the coast saw between 4 to 6.6 inches of rainfall recorded in some areas and dramatic action was ordered at Blairmont to ease flooding there.
Parts of Regions Two, Five and Six were affected by the precipitation and more intermittent rainfall is expected during the next two days.
The rainfall has seen flooding in some areas but a release from the Agriculture Ministry yesterday said that a prompt response from the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) and the regional administrations minimized the effects.
The release noted that in Region Two, there was some accumulation of water at Golden Fleece which receded due to the low tide while in Region Five, Blairmont was mostly affected with the situation “exacerbated by a cofferdam built across the main canal in the Blairmont area for the construction of a bridge which has been under construction by the Region for the last six months.” Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has directed that the cofferdam be removed immediately and a MMA-ADA pump be installed in the area to accelerate drainage, the release stated. A cofferdam is a watertight structure which is pumped dry to enable underwater work.
Meanwhile, in Region Six, water accumulated in several communities but more so in Canefield, Canje but was gradually receding due to gravity drainage at the Pepper Sluice and the installation of a mobile drainage pump by the Regional Administration and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) at the said sluice to continue draining the area during the high tide.
Chairman of Region Six, Zulfikar Mustapha and other technical officers have visited several low-lying communities and discussed possible interventions, the release stated adding that Minister Persaud has also directed Guysuco to support the agencies and regional administrations to bring relief to the situation.
It pointed out that according to the Ministry’s Hydrometeorological Service, the amount of rainfall recorded between 8 am on Saturday and 8 am yesterday ranged from 4 millimeters (mm) to 160 mm along coastal and near inland locations. East Berbice and some areas in West Berbice recorded in excess of 90 mm (3.5 inches) of rainfall during the same period; the release said adding that data available indicated that D’Edward Village in Region Five recorded 160 mm (6.28 inches) of rainfall in 24 hours. “However, the average that was recorded countrywide for the last twenty four hours was 28.5 mm (1.12 inches), the statement said.
According to the release, the current rainy season here intensified because of the presence of a tropical wave in the environs which interacted with the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. It said that this weather system was strongest over Region Six and some areas in Region Five.
Meantime, the release stated, intermittent rainfall is expected during the next 72 hours, with occasional moderate to heavy downpours very likely in extreme southern locations and Regions Two to Six and Ten.
Further, according to the Hydrometeorological Service there are reasonably high probabilities of above average rainfall during this and next month. “This means that intense and short duration episodic rainfall events are very likely to occur in June and July, thus necessary precautions should be exercised during this period” the release declared.
The ministry assured that the NDIA and the Regional Administrations and other agencies are working together to monitor the situation closely and undertake possible interventions to reduce the accumulation of water in residential and farming communities.
Meanwhile, the Ministry is encouraging the general public and local government bodies to cooperate with the NDIA and other agencies to ensure all drainage canals are kept clear and to report anyone found tampering with Government’s D&I structures and dams, to the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Agriculture’s hotline at Telephone Numbers: 225-8310, 227-5049 and text messaging at 691-0000.
