While international financing has declined, Minister in the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar yesterday told the National Assembly that this year’s budget has $4.9b to repair vulnerable sea defences.
The Minister’s disclosure was in response to APNU+AFC Parliamentarian, Amanza Walton-Desir’s accusations that government has failed to fortify Guyana’s sea defences. Walton-Desir, addressing the House earlier in the day, said the government was not focused on upgrading and building sea defence structures to protect the country’s vulnerable coastline.
“This government is running around this country building roads, building bridges, building hotel rooms, building synthetic tracks and failing to do the most important thing, and that is to protect from flooding and from the sea coming in on us,” Walton-Desir said as she pointed out that countries across the globe have been fortifying themselves “against climate change and rising sea levels, but we here in Guyana, are doing the opposite.”