GEORGETOWN, Guyana – PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo has ordered an immediate assessment of the infrastructural damage caused by the recent overtopping of the Demerara River.
This is to determine the way forward in reassuring their structural integrity, a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Jagdeo visited several of the affected villages with Minister of Transport Roberson Benn and Housing Minister Irfaan Ali Friday after abnormally high spring tides continued, leading to overtopping of river defences in several communities across Guyana and leaving residents battling with inundated homes and yards.
The flooding caused cancellations at both the Forth Ordanance primary and nursery schools as well as the Practical Instruction Centre on Friday.
While acknowledging the gravity of the situation, President Jagdeo noted that the lowering of the earthen river defences was sometimes caused by human activities – usually squatters – and he identified the villages of Herstelling and Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara as examples.
The President was firm that the squatters will have to be removed and those persons are expected to meet with Minister Ali during next week to regularise the situation, GINA said.
Meanwhile the Stabroek Market was closed Friday for a massive clean up after an “unprecedented” flooding during Thursday’s spring tide also caused by the Demerara River overtopping.
Many stall holders and the clerk of markets said that they have never seen such flooding from spring tides.
“The market is closed and will only open if we feel that every effort to clean-up has been satisfactory,” Clerk Of Markets Schulder Griffith said. “I’ve never seen nothing like this in all my years at the market. Every part of the market had flood,” he noted.
He added that he had been up with stall holders most of Thursday night as they tried to save goods from further damage.
The market was expected to be reopened yesterday.
According to Griffith, a review of how goods are stored in the market will be done to prevent any significant damage to goods if flooding is to recur. He noted that tide charts showed that the level on Thursday was the highest that tide water will reach for the season.
In a first, vehicles were allowed into the market so that stall holders could secure their goods. Many of them could be seen cleaning and assessing the damage that was done. Water was said to be at its highest in the back of the market, near the defence keeping the Demerara River at bay.
According to a stall holder, the water was at her waist and was rising rapidly on Thursday afternoon. All she could do was stand and watch as some of her goods floated away. (Stabroek News)