Region Two is not in a position to offer any help at the moment to parts of the Pomeroon which have been hit by tidal flooding, according to its Regional Executive Officer (REO).
The chairperson of the Charity/Urasara Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) , Beatrice MIttelholzer had stated that the flooding could be eased if the canals that were clogged with vegetation were cleaned and she had made several requests at the regional level for an excavator to help with the cleaning but never received a response.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, REO of Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam) Rupert Hopkinson stated that persons from the region are still assessing losses and damage from the flood and they are not in a position to help. “We have not been allocated funds to be able to help in these situations and we will not be able to assist until further discussions are done with the Ministry of Communities,” he said.
MIttelholzer explained that a quick solution to the water going down was if the main canal, which has been neglected for years, is cleaned and desilted. “If we could get the main canal cleaned from Somerset coming down to Charity with the other little canals then we will see a big decrease in the accumulation of water,” she said, pointing out that even though she has only been at the helm of the NDC for several months, she has made several requests to the region for them to assist with the cleaning of the canals but has not received any positive response since.
Hopkinson told Stabroek News that the region does not have an excavator at its disposal and as such talks with the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to lend their help will begin soon.
“We don’t have an excavator available and that’s why we are asking the assistance from the NDIA because we all want to work together to help the people of the Pomeroon,” he added.
Mittelholzer had told Stabroek News that she is also requesting the presence of the Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and authorities to visit the area to assess the situation.
“People are not comfortable. The economy is not comfortable as there are not much jobs and people try to plant and mind animals and they cannot have comfort and have their own sustenance to keep going because you always gotto keep looking out for a little flood and stuff like that,” she had said.
