It would be interesting to know the result.

As attendant slept … Unattended sluice causes widespread flood damage in Kingston

Written by Leroy Smith

Thursday, 07 June 2012 21:24

Source - Guyana Chronicle

RESIDENTS, businesses, schools, government agencies and their workers were severely affected yesterday morning when the Georgetown ward of Kingston became inundated with flood waters at the level of between 14 to 15 inches.

Bailing out: Residents of two apartments in Kingston bail water that came rushing into their homes early yesterday morning.

The disastrous situation, which caused losses estimated in millions of dollars, was due to a pump attendant reporting for work intoxicated, falling asleep and leaving the sluice at the koker behind the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) unattended.

The result was overtopping from the Demerara River and the culprit was alleged to have been a man named Fletchman. But efforts to contact him and get his account of what occurred proved futile.

Meantime, damage to properties of home owners and the State was counted in millions of dollars.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the sluice yesterday morning, representatives of several businesses in the area were also there trying to get an understanding of what really transpired.

A flooded street in Kingston yesterday

Among those visiting the irrigation structure were senior managers of the GFC, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Digicel and Guyana Power & Light (GPL).

Government Ministers Robeson Benn, Ganga Persaud, Alli Baksh and Norman Whittaker were also there at different times.

DISMISSAL
Speaking to this publication, a barefooted Permanent Secretary in the Local Government Ministry, Mr. Colin Croal said

Jimmy Mc Donald is surrounded by water and stacked household items in his Kingstown apartment.

that the dismissal of Fletchman will be recommended immediately.

In addition, the Ministry will also be exploring the possibility of other actions for criminal negligence that can be taken against the man.

Croal said officers were conducting investigations and checking to ensure that all sluices in the area, including the one that caused the catastrophe, are operable.

Public Relations Officer Royston King, of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), said the City Engineer’s Department, which supervises pump and sluice attendants, had compiled and submitted a report on the situation and it was circulated internally to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Town Clerk.

King confirmed that the initial investigations point to negligence on the part of the sluice operator and the Council will be taking strong action in the matter.

Fed up: Adults and children stand helplessly in Fort Street Kingston as their homes are flooded.

Meantime, residents of the deluged area were very upset and expressed their frustration while citing a number previous similar occurrences.

One man lamented that, when the attendants are not drunk, they do not show up or they sleep away.

COMPENSATING
A resident, who gave his name as Jimmy Mc Donald, said he lost several electrical appliances to water damage and is very concerned about who will be compensating him for his loss.

He escorted this reporter through his home, which, he said, initially, had about 14 inches of water sometime around 04:00 hrs yesterday morning.

The interior of another home in Kingston

He said he discovered the disaster when he got out of bed to use the washroom.

Mc Donald said, at first, he thought the water was from excessive rainfall but, on switching on lights, he realised it was from the Demerara River, because of its colour.

He said his losses are many because it was salt water.

Inside the house were pieces of furniture mounted on each other while electrical items and clothes were stacked on beds and other convenient places. A television set, computer monitor, refrigerator and electric fan were among the things damaged.

A woman, who did not give her name, related that she awoke and saw water in her apartment. She started to cry as she was well aware of the extent of loss that she will have to face when the flood recedes.

Another woman, who identified herself as Sandra Gomes, revealed that it was only recently that she did some

The sluice that was left unattended and which caused the discomfort to hundreds in Kingston

renovations to her house and will now have to cope with the sad reality of water damage.

She said, in their desperation to prevent water from the overflowing sluice rushing into to their homes, some residents had to resort to what they described as an illegal act.
They fetched buckets and wheel barrows full of sand, from in front of another woman’s premises, to block doors and

Skip to my loo: students of the Chase Academic Foundation navigate their way across water that lodged in the passageway to their school in Parade Street.

gateways but they are grateful that their benefactor understood their plight and sympathised with them.

However, the residents are calling for the authorities to compensate the owner for her truck full of sand.

The most affected in the ward was Fort Street and yesterday morning’s episode caused the Kingston Community High School to send students back home while the workers of several business places in the area opted to return home, since many of them turned up for work not wearing long boots that were necessary to enter some of the buildings.

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 June 2012 21:34

Dem look fuh dah.  Wah dem expek abie PPP fuh do, abie natt respansible fuh rain and shine.  Alyuh evva see abie place flood out, dem peeple rass lazy, dem muss do wah abie dozz do, buy pump an dump dah waata pon dem peeple nex door.  If dem cyaant afford pump, den use buckit.

Dem muss know, abie PPP gah nuff mo bigga ting fuh deal wid, Prado muss geh done, Laptap muss geh distrabute, eleckshun muss geh goin', etc.  Guyana peeple muss larn fuh tek care dem self, nah expeck PPP fuh do da impossible.  Abie pon tap.

GNI should start a flood thief fund.