Spring tides smash West Dem sea defence, houses
Towering spring tides yesterday flooded three villages on the West Coast Demerara, destroying houses, smashing 75 feet of the Uitvlugt sea defence, drowning livestock and displacing patients of the Leonora Hospital. The high tides began at around 3 pm on Thursday, according to reports, flooding the streets and bottom houses of residents who reside closest to the seawall. But it was the waves that crept up in the wee hours of yesterday that caused the most damage, and in the aftermath of the early morning destruction, residents had braced themselves in anticipation of another rising tide, scheduled to hit again at 3 pm. At close to 4 pm, scores of residents had congregated in the streets at Uitvlugt, some with cameras raised, as the water poured in around them, draining in torrents into the surrounding trenches and dams, inundating the area within minutes. The scene was mirrored at Leonora and Stewartville, where similar devastation was experienced. Temporary disaster relief camps have been set up at the Uitvlugt Community Centre and the Uitvlugt Secondary School, to accommodate residents affected by the flooding.
Mabaruma Mayor Henry Smith yesterday warned that a health crisis may be looming in Region One given the large number of Venezuelans who are illegally crossing the border to seek medical attention and engage in trade. Though acknowledging that Guyana has to show care towards its Spanish-speaking neighbours, Smith told Stabroek News that it must not come at the expense of the health and safety of locals. “They can certainly bring diseases here… There are no checks and balances and lots of them have malaria and we were almost malaria-free here. I was there one morning and I saw them bringing a pig from Venezuela to sell. You see oranges coming, you got plants coming,” he said during an interview. He noted that these were also among the concerns he raised with a Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) team about a month ago. approximately 1,500m long fixed bridge with a movable span and two approach roads of a total length of 600m. It is envisaged that the project will commence in 2018 and will be delivered in 2020. Patterson stressed that his government would not be lured into borrowing huge sums of money that would leave taxpayers under strain to repay in the future and was very mindful of similar situations in sister CARICOM nations.
A garbage bin that rewards users and research on agricultural uses for used diapers were among the distinctive projects on display at Region Four’s Biennial Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Fair, which began yesterday at the Diamond Secondary School. A two-day event, the fair was organised by the Region’s Department of Education, in collaboration with the Regional Democratic Council, under the theme of ‘Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics paving the way for a green and sustainable society.” An estimated 220 students representing nursery, primary and secondary levels from 47 schools are in competition. District Education Officer and coordinator of the fair, Loren Park, commenting on the projects displayed, noted that while the ideas for the projects seemed repetitive, many of them were re-conceptualised and presented for the scrutiny of the judges. The host Diamond Secondary School is the school with the most entries this year, with 11 entries, followed by Hope Secondary and Annandale Secondary School.