Water down in Region Five but riverine villages still flooded
While floodwaters in Region Five are slowly receding, the majority of the riverine communities remain inundated, Chairman Vickchand Ramphal says.
“Waters have receded three metres in the Mahaicony, Abary and Mahaica rivers but the riverine communities like Big Biaboo, Mahaicony, all those areas are still under water,” Ramphal told Stabroek News yesterday.
He noted that over the past three days there was hardly any rainfall and the good weather contributed to an improvement in the situation. He stated that he hopes that the weather holds for now so that assessments can be conducted to determine the extent of the flood damage.
Ramphal said that the Regional Democratic Council continues to provide support to the persons affected and distributed hampers to a number of people in Mahaicony yesterday. He noted that many are still to receive relief supplies but they are working to ensure that the necessary supplies are sent to the affected areas.
The communities along the three rivers have been inundated for just over a month now. Since then, residents have been forced to dwell in their upper flats. Hundreds of farms and livestock have been destroyed by the flooding.
Region Ten
Meanwhile, in Region Ten, communities close to the Demerara River also remain inundated. According to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall, a recent visit to Three Friends to the Maria
Elizabeth zone along the Demerara River showed that these areas are still flooded.
The flooding is due to the overtopping of the river as well as runoff water from a tailings pond of the East Montgomery Mines which was breached last Thursday. Relief is still being provided to residents. In Coomacka several houses remain inundated due to the rising water levels.
The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) said last week that just over 36,000 households from 300 communities countrywide have been affected by flooding.
This disclosure was made by the CDC’s Senior Response Officer, Captain Salim October during a virtual stakeholder meeting held to fully activate the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). According to October, since May 18th, the CDC has received reports that 36,083 households in total have been affected by the flooding countrywide.
In Region Six, 12, 391 households are affected while 7,166 have been affected in Region Three; 6,040 in Region Nine;
2,825 in Region One; 2,535 in Region Four; 1,084 in Region Two; 1,791 in Region Ten; 920 in Region Five; 819 in Region Seven and 512 in Region Eight.
In addition, he said that 216 persons are currently being housed at nine temporary shelters that have been activated in regions Two, Five, Nine and Ten. Of that number 175 of those persons are from Region Ten, 30 from Region Two, seven from Region Five and four from Region Nine.