GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Guyana government has confirmed that it has ordered the evacuationof persons residing in low lying areas close to the Demerara River after heavy rains over the past few days have resulted in sections of the sea defence mechanisms being breached.
A Government Information Agency (GINA) statement said that more than 60 people were given 14 days to evacuate the lands on which they have been squatting to allow the engineers to undertake remedial work and avert a disaster.
Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn said that his ministry was working in tandem with the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders to bring relief to areas affected by the “overtopping” of the Demerara River.
According to GINA, the overtopping of the river “coupled with approximately six inches of water flowing down from heavy rainfall in the interior of Guyana, resulted in sections of the sea defence mechanisms being overtopped”.
Benn said that even the capital, Georgetown, had been affected by the waters and in Versailles on the West Bank Demerara, there had been a temporary shutdown of the power station as a precautionary measure.
Benn warned that residents in low-lying areas should continue to take precautions and Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said the situation was expected to continue until Sunday.
Persaud said that while his ministry would be deploying additional equipment and staff to provide assistance to the sea defence unit, in some areas, persons had been squatting and damaging dams.
“ . . . I encourage citizens to be on the alert and also to monitor sluice doors and ensure that the drainage systems work because once the sea water comes in we have to get it out,” he said. (CMC)
