Water in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) rose above safe levels following the heavy rains yesterday but has since stabilised and water is being discharged around-the-clock.
Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson at a news briefing yesterday at NCN revealed that while the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has been mulling utilising the long-delayed, still-to-be-commissioned $3.6 billion Hope Canal should the EDWC surpass the supply level, that plan has since changed. He said that the Agriculture Minister has advised that the project is not yet ready. This project had been one of the major enterprises of the former PPP/C government.
Heavy rainfall yesterday flooded Georgetown as well as communities along the East and West Coasts of Demerara.
Head of the NDIA Lionel Wordsworth told Stabroek News that as of late yesterday, the EDWC was being monitored and the water levels have stabilised. He said that since earlier yesterday, they had begun discharging excess water into the Demerara River at the Land of Canaan, Kofi, and Cunha canal sluices around-the-clock.
Stabroek News was informed that by utilising these outlets, releasing water via the Mahaica Creek can be avoided.
Unfortunately for many, the devastation is already very much real. Wordsworth stated that while places along the West Coast Demerara such as farmlands at Parika and Tuschen were seeing water levels receding at a consistent pace, at Mibicuri in the Black Bush Polder, the flooding was extreme. He noted that a mobile pump was already in place at Mibicuri while the NDIA had commenced dredging of the major outfall channels.
Additionally, Wordsworth noted that dredging was ongoing at No. 43 Village and today, the NDIA will be moving to No 51/52 villages to dredge the outfall channels.
He said that the Windsor Forest, West Demerara pump station was operating at full capacity allowing for water to move quickly from the land.
Yesterday, Guyana experienced heavy rains across the country resulting in flooding throughout Regions 4 and 6. Georgetown was soaked with just over five inches of rain while the HydroMet office is predicting an additional 20mm to 60mm until Thursday.
