Caribbean News Desk radio prog: Guyana flooded; Caribbean Airlines boss takes home US$30K

Last Updated on Thursday, 20 November 2014, 21:40 by GxMedia

Thousands of Guyanese in the capital city, Georgetown, and other coastal areas are counting their losses as a result of severe flooding due to heavy rainfall overnight.

Many stores and dwellings on lower-flats have been inundated with several inches of water.

Public schools in Georgetown and several coastal areas were ordered closed.

The flooding comes as government wraps up a US$475,000 countrywide clean-up campaign that included the cleaning of canals, trenches and drains. That operation included the removal of silt and refuse- mainly Styrofoam food boxes, plastic bags and plastic drink bottles.

YOU CAN LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD THE THURSDAY EDITION OF CARIBBEAN NEWS DESK HERE {mp3remote}https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/143143643/caribnewsdesk/caribnews_20_nov_2014.MP3{/mp3remote} 

The government says the flooding could have been worse had it not been for the clean-up exercise because seven and three-quarter inches of rain fell during a nine-hour period at the same time there was high tide.

Authorities said Guyana’s drainage network can only cope with one and half inches or two inches of rainfall in any 24-hour period.

Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn concedes that some of the drainage works have not been done properly.

He says pumps are being deployed to continue discharging water into the sea and rivers during high tide.

But the Private Sector Commission says it is tired of the usual excuses and wants an inquiry to find out what the lapses were and what should be done to improve alert and reaction in the future.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Persaud says the drainage problem is not only about the volume of rainfall.

The business organisation says it continues to lose confidence in millions of dollars being spent on establishing Doppler weather stations, building a huge drainage canal and cleaning the drainage network.

Also in today’s programme:

Heavy rain causes severe flooding in Guyana, triggering criticism by the business community

The Bahamas sticking to its guns over it crackdown on illegal immigrants

The Caribbean Airlines boss takes home a hefty salary and allowance.

Telecoms regulators in the Eastern Caribbean warn against monopoly involving Cable and Wireless and Columbus Communications

Caricom intensifies education about Single Market