Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Jermaine Figueira is urging residents of Linden and Region Ten communities to participate in the efforts spearheaded by the government to address the critical issue of flooding.
In a statement released yesterday, the MP reported on a high-level meeting that was held at the Office of the Prime Minister, in Georgetown, to address the critical flooding issues affecting several communities in Linden and Region Ten.
The meeting included Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, and the Minister of Local Government, Anand Persaud.
According to the statement, during the discussions, the Prime Minister, along with the ministers, committed to immediate action to alleviate the impact of flooding on residents. As a result, a technical team of engineers from the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Local Government, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), along with local representatives, will be deployed today to conduct site visits to the affected areas. These visits will focus on assessing and identifying drains, culverts, and creeks that require urgent cleaning, desilting, and upgrading.
Further, the technical team will work to finalise the scope of works needed for immediate intervention, which will include the cleaning of several drains identified during the meeting.
“All elected officials and community representatives are invited to participate in this important initiative, as we work together to safeguard the wellbeing of our residents,” Figueira stated.
He also assured that local representatives along with other community stakeholders remain committed to securing interventions and solutions from the government on the issues that affect residents across Region Ten. “In this instance, we will ensure that swift and effective measures are taken to mitigate the ongoing challenges caused by flooding, given the capacity challenges of our local government system.”
The MP noted that the bipartisan collaboration and support of all stakeholders and representatives on this critical matter is acknowledged with much gratitude while urging participation across the board. “We urge residents to both monitor and participate in the various interventions to ensure proper work is done.”
The Office of the Prime Minister in a recent release on the same topic had stated that the Prime Minister emphasised the government’s commitment to collaborating with local stakeholders to modernise Linden’s drainage systems and enhance its resilience against future flooding. He also underscored that achieving these goals requires a collective effort from all stakeholders, as he voiced his intention to continue engaging with the Mayor of Linden, Sharma Solomon, and Regional Chair, Deron Adams.
