Region Six Chairman David Armogan says floodwaters have receded at Black Bush Polder (BBP) and at Liverpool, Corentyne where all drainage systems are functioning and mini excavators have been put into operation to enhance drainage.
During a field trip at Liverpool on Monday, the regional chairman said he decided to investigate the reports published in the Kaieteur News that the area was flooded due to rain in December and a non-functional irrigation pump. However, when Armogan and other regional officials arrived at the location, the area was observed to be recovering from flooding and only swamplands were visibly under water. When the team visited the lone complainant named in the article, O’Neil Leitch, it was clear that he is residing on the edge of a marsh and as a result a section of his transported land was under some water. When the team questioned other residents about flooding, they said the water receded from their yards soon after the pump was put into operation. Armogan said the spring tides and constant rainfall may have overwhelmed the drainage system, causing flooding. He then slammed the Kaieteur News for the inaccuracies it published.
“This kind of reporting is creating a bad impression on the regional administration. It seems as if the regional administration is not paying attention to what is happening in the region. When we come into the ground we are not seeing what these people are writing,” he said in a statement. “The motive here is to make the regional administration look bad… I am here and I am not seeing anything of what is reported… I asked residents about the picture of the flooded area but no one seems to know the place,” Armogan said.
Regarding reports that the irrigation pump was not put into operation, the chairman and engineer both said that the radiator had to be removed from the pump to be cleaned.
According to the officials, the pump was not operated during the dry season as a result there was some corrosion which had to be cleaned. Armogan said that the pump is operable and so are the sluice doors. Currently, there are mini excavators working in communities to clear drains.
