An Albouystown resident eloquently expressed her emotions about the flood situation… “We are sick and tired of this, every time lil’ rain fall, the streets flooding out and the water reaching in my bottom house. It is very unsafe and unhealthy because I have lil’ children living with me, the government need to do better than this because it is fatiguing.”
These words were cited by Former President David Granger on his weekly programme – The Public Interest – to call attention to citizens’ frustration after the hour-long rainfall on 21st April which resulted in flooding low-lying areas in Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 regions.
Mr. Granger iterated the axiom that environmental security is at risk, repeatedly, every year by the unfailing May-June rains. The forecast is that this season will be ruinous. Rainfall and flash floods are expected to peak; water levels in conservancies, reservoirs and rivers are likely to surge. High-energy waves which may result in overtopping and damage to sea defense and flooding in low-lying areas have been predicted by the Guyana Hydro-meteorological Service.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administrations in 2005 and 2021 witnessed the worst floods in history and exposed citizens’ inability to access safe water supply, public health and solid waste and sewage disposal. The previous PPP/C administration acknowledged that over 290,000 persons – or 39 per cent of the population – were adversely affected in 2005. The present PPP/C administration acknowledged that “the worst flooding ever seen” affected 150,000 persons in every region in May- June 2021.
The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority seems to be concerned with selected areas on the coastland and ignores the reality of the risk to the environmental security of the hinterland and riverine areas. Annual budgetary allocations can only upgrade and repair, not replace or rebuild drainage systems.
The former President is of the opinion that the country needs a comprehensive national floodplain management system to provide for a ‘whole-of-country’ approach to mitigate the impact of annual flooding. Such a system will have the tasks of monitoring climate change; coastal zone management; construction of a new network of canals, reservoirs or artificial lakes to contain flood water and capacity-building to integrate regional, municipal, neighbourhood and village systems in flood prevention.
Everyone needs to exist in a secure environment, in and out of the rainy season. Everyone deserves a good life.
