The rainy season has come a few weeks earlier than usual, but the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), had already started to implement flood-mitigation measures to save farmlands and livestock.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NDIA, Frederick Flatts today, briefed the Government Information Agency (GINA), on the works, the agency had started to implement to lessen flood danger in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.
“In Region Two, we are continuing to prepare our outfall channels. This is a major problem in Region Two, because there is extensive accretion along the foreshore, so we are right now working on some of those outfall channels. We have a pontoon with two excavators and we are clearing outfall channels at La Union, Capoey, Three Friends, Anna Regina, Lima, Devonshire Castle and Hampton Court,” Flatts said.
CEO of NDIA, Fredrick Flatts
He said that the Agency has concluded most of its work in Regions Three and Four. “In Region Three most of our outfalls channels are cleared, and within the last month we have been mainly cleaning our outfall channels in the Leguan area,” Flatts said. “In Region Four, we have done some clearing along the channels on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) and at Buxton,” Flatts further explained.
The works in Region Five are focused on the outfall channel at Trafalgar. There are also works aimed at the resuscitation of three sluices, to boost the drainage capacity in a particular flood prone section of the region.
“There are three sluices that we are trying to resuscitate. One is located between Number 28 and 29 Village, the other in Number 12 (Village) and the third in is located between Lovely Lass and Golden Grove. Two of the three sluices were actually defunct, but we are trying to resuscitate them because of the extensive flooding in the region in the housing areas, between Tempe and Bushlot,” Flatts said.
In Region Six, the NDIA is cleaning the outfalls in areas such as Number 43, 51, 52 and in Adventure Village.
Flatts said in all, the NDIA has over 80 excavators working extensively and that the cleaning of the inland channels to ensure that the water can get to the sluices and the outfalls is also being done.
Drainage and irrigation channels in and around Georgetown, also began undergoing a series of rehabilitative works in April, in preparation for the May-June rains. These works are being carried out to the tune of $150M and are focused on several priority drainage and irrigation channels and outlets in the City. These include the Sussex Street drain, the drain and culverts along the Railway Embankment from Sheriff Street on the west to the pump station on the east, the six culverts that connect the North Ruimveldt and South Ruimveldt drainage systems, the siphons and attendant drains in the Plum Park Sophia area, the Meadowbank sluice and channel inlet, the sluices at Agricola, Rome and Lamaha Street and the inlet channels in the Newtown.
