President Ali visits more flood-affected communities in Regions Six, Ten

-says residents safety remains priority

-Govt to provide continuous support 

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and a team of Government Ministers and other officials on Saturday visited several communities in Regions Six and Ten to assess the severity of flooding there, and to determine the level of interventions needed.  

The team travelled to Lamp Island, Kwakwani, Bamboo Landing, Hururu Mission, Ladern’s Ville and Lesbeholden for a first-hand look at the challenges.

The flooding has been linked to increased rainfall and high tides.

“The situation is indeed quite a disaster. We had the opportunity to view it first hand, in a very comprehensive way, especially Savannah’s Land and the backlands, and if the rain continues as is predicted, then it will be even worse,” President Ali said.

During the visit, Dr. Ali said the Ministry of Agriculture and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) would be collaborating to assess the damage to farmlands. This, he said, will inform the level of Government intervention required in this area.

During a meeting in Kwakwani, Region Ten, the Head of State explained, “What is clear is that the livelihood, in terms of farmland, has been completely destroyed. What we’re focusing on now is livelihood; ensuring that you have food ensuring people are safe; if there is need for shelters, we are working on that; and ensuring that health needs are satisfied.”

Meanwhile, Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig said a total of 700 households in Region Ten have been directly affected by the floods.

“Our focus is ensuring that there are shelters for people who are displaced; there are adequate relief supplies in terms of food hampers; and there’s also cleaning hampers for those who are affected.

In instances where they have issues with water, we ensure that there are water purification tablets so that there is clean water for people to drink,” the DG told the media at Lesbeholden, Region Six.

To date, over 6,000 food hampers have been distributed to affected residents across the country.

The President has emphasised that constant support, especially as it relates to infrastructural work, would be provided, which includes increasing the heights of dams. He stressed that the Government’s main focus is to ensure that people are safe.

Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill; Minister of Public Service, Hon. Sonia Parag; Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha; Region Six Regional Chairman, Mr. David Armogan; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, and Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Mr. Frederick Flatts were also a part of the team.