Diplomats visit Reg 5 communities recently affected by high tides
—Get firsthand view of ongoing sea defence works
—Foreign Affairs Minister, CDC facilitate visit
DPI, Guyana, Friday, November 22, 2019
On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) conducted visits to several communities in the Mahaica-Berbice Region, which were recently impacted by a series of spring tides.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings who was also on-site led the high-level group of diplomats to communities within the Dantzig to Planters Hall, catchment zone.
Amongst the visiting team was High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr K. J. Srinivasa.
The mission by the two entities is intended to provide the diplomats with firsthand knowledge of the extent of the flood impacts on farmers, and to be oriented with the plans and current priority work of multi-sectorial agencies, aimed at reducing further impact and promoting early recovery.
Since the October 27-30 unusually highs tide, saw some farmlands in the Region 5 being inundated with saltwater. The Government through several ministries and agencies has undertaken emergency efforts to arrest the breaches in the areas and to provide relief to many affected residents.
Additionally, the Sea and River Defence Department of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) continues to work assiduously to cushion the impact of flooding in these vulnerable communities.
“We have people from all over the world and we wanted to be on spot to assess the situation and to see what additional assistance we can provide when we go back to the drawing board. We will work together to bring relief, not only in the immediate term but most importantly the long term,” Minister Cummings stated while addressing the residents.
Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) along with the Government of Guyana has already established an emergency disaster relief team should any severe incident reoccur.