Minister of Local Govern-ment Ganga Persaud has said despite the warning about persistent rainfall, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) failed to ensure that the drainage system was functioning effectively, resulting in the city becoming inundated.
Minister Persaud said the flooding “reinforces the ineptitude and uncaring attitude of those who are responsible for the management of the city,” according to the Government Information Agency (GINA). Several parts of Georgetown were submerged following intense rainfall on February 28 and 29. It was later revealed that the Council could not effectively drain water from the land because three pumps were non-operational.
In response to queries about the Council’s inability to operate the drainage system at full capacity, Mayor Hamilton Green said that the pumps had sudden mechanical failure and the Council was unable to remedy the situation due to a shortage of mechanical staff and money. Green also said that even if the drainage system were operating at full capacity, it would not have been able to drain the water from the land in a timelier manner.
In response, Persaud said that the Council is not without financial resources and blamed its inability to effectively manage and focus the resources on critical services for the situation. Further, the minister said that he would not “buy lock, stock and barrel excuse of inadequate resources with regards to maintaining the pump” as government has consistently poured resources into the municipality to assist in situations such as these.
According to GINA, the ministry was besieged with complaints about losses and citizens have vented their frustration about the “lacklustre attitude and responses they got from the city with regards to dealing with the non-functioning of pumps.”
Minister within the Ministry, Norman Whittaker also said he was disappointed with the Council’s actions in the light of the persistent rainfall. Whittaker said after the hydromet office and Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy announced that the current weather conditions would continue until March month end, he would have expected the Georgetown municipality and other local government organs to ensure that their existing drainage facilities were functioning.
