Ministry undertaking major drainage works in city

TIMES INT'L
Workers cleaning a canal in the Sussex Street, Charlestown area
Workers cleaning a canal in the Sussex Street, Charlestown area

The Public Works Ministry on Friday embarked on a major exercise designed to alleviate drainage problems in Georgetown, especially in the Lodge, Charlestown, Wortmanville, Albouystown and Queenstown areas.

The clean-up entailed the clearing of blocked drains, and removal of vegetation and garbage from the heavily-blocked drainage canals.

This move comes in the wake of the heavy downpour on November 27 that caused flooding in parts of the city, East Coast Demerara and in Regions Two and Three.

Rainfall, recorded at the Botanical Gardens, measured 128.9mm or 5.1 inches, the highest in the city since 1892.

Public Works Minister Robeson Benn, who was on site at Sussex Street during the exercise, said the ministry has four emergency teams working in particular areas of South Georgetown.

Workers in Albouystown, another area which is being cleaned
Workers in Albouystown, another area which is being cleaned

“It’s an additional effort, because we have so much of vegetation and garbage all over the city… barring not much more rain, we anticipate that we will get those areas drained out in three days’ time,” he disclosed.

He said the ministry has installed pumps in Queenstown and Lodge, and it was anticipated that more pumps would be installed, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Minister Benn added that the ministry will be obtaining two long reach excavators to assist in alleviating the drainage problems in the city, and will be engaging persons to remove impediments, especially scrap iron that causes obstruction to clearing of the drains.

This, Minister Benn said, complements what the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry is doing to address the issue of solid waste in the city.

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