President Irfaan Ali on Tuesday visited several flood-affected communities in Georgetown in the early hours of the morning, as heavy rainfall continued to impact low-lying areas and the government ramped up its emergency response.
During visits to Queenstown, Alberttown and First Street, Alexander Village, Ali said 217 pumps are currently operational nationwide, including 15 in Georgetown working around the clock to manage flooding linked to what officials described as “unprecedented” rainfall levels.
He said 11 additional pumps are expected to arrive in Guyana on Friday and will be deployed to vulnerable areas to strengthen drainage capacity.
“We have already established the task force because we expect the rainfall and the weather pattern to continue over the next couple of days, but with greater intensity tomorrow,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said Georgetown had recorded about 4.5 inches of rainfall by Monday afternoon, adding that engineering and drainage teams had been deployed across the city to monitor affected areas. He said there were no major reports of homes being flooded but stressed that monitoring was ongoing.
The Government has activated a 24-hour monitoring system involving the Civil Defence Commission, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, the Guyana Police Force and other joint services. Pumps were operating continuously, although drainage remains constrained during high tide periods, with sluice gates expected to fully open around 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday as tides recede.
Ali also said special teams had been deployed overnight to inspect construction sites and remove blockages affecting drainage channels, pointing to overgrown drains and construction debris in parts of the city.
He criticised maintenance of the drainage system by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, calling it a contributing factor to flooding in several communities. “The lack of maintenance from the city, of course, is a major challenge for us,” he said.
Ali added that Central Government would undertake additional drainage maintenance and longer-term interventions to improve water storage capacity in vulnerable areas. “We can’t rely on the City Council. So we have to make these investments,” he said.
The President said all pumps nationwide had been inspected and confirmed operational overnight, and praised joint services and pump operators for their response. “We are not a government that hides from challenges,” he said, adding that while improvements had been made, further work was needed to address ongoing issues.
