A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Vinceroy Jordan has accused the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government and the Ministry of Agriculture of incompetence and mismanagement, citing their failure to prevent recurring flooding despite billions of dollars spent on drainage and irrigation works since returning to office in 2020.
In a statement released recently, Jordan said the government “continue[s] to prove its incompetence and mismanagement for failure to prevent recurring flooding despite billions spent on drainage and irrigation.”
“The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government and its Ministry of Agriculture stand indicted for their continued failure to protect communities across Guyana from persistent and destructive flooding, despite spending tens of billions of taxpayers’ dollars on drainage and irrigation since returning to office in 2020,” Jordan stated.
He pointed to communities such as Black Bush Polder and other flood-prone areas that have once again been submerged, resulting in damaged homes, destroyed crops, and livelihoods placed at risk.
“These floods are not unexpected or unavoidable,” Jordan said. “They are the direct result of poor planning, weak implementation, and a reliance on short-term ‘quick fixes’ instead of durable, long-term solutions.”
Jordan outlined what he described as repeated large-scale budgetary allocations for drainage and irrigation since 2020. He noted that between 2020 and 2021, billions were allocated through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the MMA-ADA for flood control works, including emergency interventions and canal rehabilitation.
In 2021, he said approximately $12 billion was allocated specifically for drainage and irrigation, with additional emergency spending following widespread flooding. According to Jordan, a further $13 billion was budgeted in 2022 for drainage infrastructure, mobile pumps, and canal upgrades nationwide.
He added that annual allocations continued to rise in 2023 and 2024, with $20 billion spent in 2023 and the Ministry of Agriculture reporting over $98.7 billion spent on drainage and irrigation works in 2024 alone. For 2025, Jordan said the National Budget allocated $104.6 billion for drainage and irrigation, making it “the single largest component of the agriculture sector’s budget.”
“Yet, despite these enormous expenditures, the same communities flood year after year,” Jordan said. “Black Bush Polder farmers continue to suffer millions of dollars in losses. Residents of many other communities face recurring inundation, damaged property, and uncertainty every rainy season.”
“This raises a serious and unavoidable question: where is the return on this massive public investment?” he added.
Jordan argued that spending without proper planning and maintenance has failed to address flooding. “The reality is clear: spending money without proper planning, climate-resilient design, timely execution, and regular maintenance does not solve flooding,” he said.
He described the government’s approach as largely reactive. “The PPP Government’s approach has been largely reactive — deploying pumps after communities are already underwater, announcing relief after losses are incurred, and recycling promises every budget cycle,” Jordan stated.
According to the APNU MP, Guyana requires urgent, long-term, climate-smart flood mitigation, including properly designed drainage infrastructure, functional pump stations in flood-prone areas, regular desilting and maintenance of canals and outfalls, transparent oversight of projects, and a shift from political announcements to engineering-driven solutions.
“After over five years in office and billions of dollars spent, the PPP Government can no longer blame weather, tides, or ‘unusual rainfall,’” Jordan said. “This is a failure of governance and accountability.”
He said residents of Black Bush Polder and other flood-prone communities “deserve more than excuses,” adding that they are entitled to “results, resilience, and respect for their hard-earned tax dollars.”
