Anna Regina Secondary School was closed yesterday and will remain closed today on account of the flooding problem in that town and which has affected other areas along the coast.
Chairman of Region Two Parmanand Persaud, when contacted by this publication yesterday, said the flooding was a combination of heavy rainfall and farmers draining their rice fields at the same time.
Flooding has been ongoing on the Essequibo Coast for the past week and residents had complained that the regional administration had been negligent in dealing with the matter. Anna Regina, Cotton Field and Reliance are among the areas affected.
Persaud, who when contacted on Sunday said he would speak on the matter yesterday, said that a report on the situation had been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture.
“The ministry assists us with drainage and irrigation,” he said. “Only two sluices were down during the past week, but we have been able to fix the problem,” he added.
The two sluices that were not functioning were the ones at Devonshire Castle and at Three Friends, Persaud said.
“We have done everything in our power to rectify the problem.
The floods were a result of heavy rainfall and because the rice farmers were draining their rice fields. The waters from the backland added to the flooding, he said.
Noting that the Anna Regina Secondary School was severely affected, Persaud said that water was about three inches high in the lower flat of the building. “We have formed an enhancement team to clean the building [today],” he stated.
Responding to the residents’ criticism of the regional administration’s lack of action, he said, “I would like the residents to understand that the floods were not a deliberate act but that is nature.”
He added that the clean-up exercise will be an ongoing process.
