Sandy Babb Street, Kitty flooded despite recent works; more drainage works planned

Last Updated on Friday, 21 April 2023, 17:59 by Denis Chabrol

After spending millions of dollars to clear drains and rehabilitate the flood-prone Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, that east-west thoroughfare was flooded again on Friday due to heavy rainfall but authorities said more drainage works were planned.

A resident of Sandy Babb Street recorded a video and posted it on Social Media. He was heard complaining bitterly that government had wasted a lot of money without fixing the problem. “These people break up the entire gutters around. They say they clean it, no more flooding they say. They surfaced the road. No more flooding and it flooding. This is what is happening. They keep spending money… These guys don’t know what they’re doing,” he said.

But Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill attributed to the flooding of Sandy Babb Street to Thursday’s intense rainfall and said inspectors were due to pay a site visit  “to see if there is any blockage anywhere.”  He said the drains would soon be fixed so that “people could get their bridge properly reinstated.”

Public Works Minister II Deodat Indar said tender was awarded to do the drains from Vlissengen Road to connect to the drains at Campbell Avenue. “We have issued notice to everybody already that we will do that extension. The water is still blocking in the other parts because the drainage in front of people’s parapets are blocked off,” he said.

Asked why that was not done before, he said the focus had been on drains near the sections of the road that were failing.

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) said there were several reports of flood impacts along the country’s coastland over the past 10 hours. Regions 3 and 4 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara and Demerara/Mahaica respectively) are significantly affected with an average of four (4) inches of flood water.

Wakenaam and Leguan in the Essequibo River, and Parika and Vergenoegen on the Eastern Bank of the Essequibo River have reported rising water levels in trenches and drains. That resulted in over-topping onto roadways and into the Parika Market area.

“Residents in the communities have not reported any household impacts and the authorities on the ground have indicated that all kokers and sluices are currently operational,” the CDC said. However, a number of residents in Georgetown and other areas have reported that their lower flats have been flooded.

Along the West Coast of Demerara, areas such as Stewartville; Hague; and Pouderoyen have reported flooding in many residential streets due to the heavy rainfall. At the time of this report no water has seeped into households. Irrigation measures are in place in several communities in the Region and authorities will continue to monitor the developing situation, the CDC added.

In Region 4, the city of Georgetown has indicated flood impacts in many areas. The water levels are slowly diminishing and residents continue to operate cautiously. The Better Hope/LBI communities have also reported flooding. Persons there have posited that if the heavy rains continue the water levels can rise even further.

Additionally, there has been a report of a high wind impact along Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown. No injuries were reported and the CDC liaised with the City Engineer’s Department of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown to rectify the issue.

The Hydromet Office predicts more rainfall along the coastline over the next four hours which can measure at least two  inches.

The CDC urges all residents to take the necessary precautions during this time and to report all impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 600-7500 at any time.