David Papannah

Residents living between the vulnerable communities of Columbia and Fairfield, in Region Five, have voiced concerns over the earthen dam being constructed by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to ease flooding.

Six months after an earlier application had been rejected by Cabinet, Eastern Airlines has been given the green light to operate scheduled non-stop flights between the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York.

Water from the recent spring tides that flooded yards and farmlands in the villages of Harmony Hall, Rebecca’s Rust and surrounding areas have begun to recede and residents are calling on the Ministry of Public Health to conduct a medical outreach in the affected communities to treat persons who may have contracted any diseases.

Salt water from the recent spring tides has entered the rice lands in the Mahaicony Backlands and farmers are unsure of future cultivation since the land has become salted and will not be able to sustain growth.

Spring tides yesterday battered the door of a koker at Stewartville, Region Three and posed a threat of major flooding in neighbouring communities.

The return of the spring tides, which will be in effect until Monday, has left several residents on the northern side of Glazier’s Lust and Columbia, Mahaicony, counting losses and fearing that even worse lies ahead.

With more spring tides forecast from today, the Sea and River Defence Department of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) is assuring that it will seek to cushion the impact of expected flooding in coastal communities, including those still vulnerable due to exposed sections of the Mahaicony sea defence.

Tricia Lindon, one of the two survivors of the Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EDB) accident that left five dead on Tuesday, says Leon Tucker, who was the driver of the vehicle she was travelling in at the time, had slowed down to allow the police car that eventually crashed into them to pass.

Five persons were killed in a collision involving a police vehicle along the Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EBD) public road early yesterday morning and President David Granger has ordered a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the cause while pledging that steps will be taken to ensure the safe use of the roads by members of the security forces.

Photos by Terrence Thompson Boulders to seal a decrepit section of the Mahaicony sea defence have begun to arrive by sea but raging waves are preventing the offloading of pontoons and transport by road may have to be considered as the authorities brace for more towering spring tides from October 26.

A fire, suspected to be electrical in origin, gutted the home that was occupied by members of a North Sophia family, who lost all of their possessions.

At least six families were affected by the flash storm which hit Mahdia, in Region Eight, on Friday afternoon and efforts are underway by the regional administration and the Civil Defense Commission (CDC) to assist them in rebuilding their homes.

The completion of emergency repairs on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DBH) allowed for the resumption of operations ahead of schedule yesterday.

Torrential rain, lightning and powerful winds tore through several Linden communities on Friday afternoon, and toppled trees, flooded streets and left several residents without a roof over their heads.

The newly-commissioned Valmiki College for Business and Technology is aiming to equip youths with the skills needed to enter the working world.

The sod was turned yesterday for the construction of a $1.2 billion permanent headquarters for the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and China has been hinted as a possible source of funding for the project.

At least two river dredges are operating illegally in the Kuyuwini River in Region Nine in areas that were declared no mining zones, according to the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC), which has expressed alarm at the destruction being caused to the largely pristine area by the gold mining operations.

In line with earlier reports in the Sunday Stabroek, Haitians entering the country move rapidly to exit the country via Lethem and local bus operators continue to make connections with them at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport upon arrival.

Survivors of the horrific vehicular crash, which occurred on Friday morning along the New Hope, East Bank Demerara (EBD) public road and left one person dead, yesterday recalled that the driver of the pick-up was swerving on the road before he collided with the Route 42 (Georgetown-Timehri) minibus.

Several breaches along the porous Mahaicony sea defence were recently sealed but farmers say they remain fearful that the repairs would not hold up against spring tides and new breaches might develop due to the rapid erosion occurring.