By: Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
With forecasts indicating a rainy Christmas season, residents of West La Penitence, Georgetown, are raising concerns over persistent flooding and stagnant water, which they attribute to a recently constructed concrete road that has blocked an existing drainage system.
One resident, Kevin George, told Nightly News that the situation has become unbearable and is now posing a serious environmental and health hazard to his household.
“Now with the new infrastructure, they cast it over the gutter, and it caused a problem for the water to flow. It’s very stagnant and high,” George lamented.
He explained that every time it rains, filthy water floods his yard, leaving behind a foul stench and creating a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Having recently returned to Guyana after being overseas, George said he was devastated to find his home surrounded by stagnant water, which has made daily living highly uncomfortable for his family, including a newborn baby.
“I have my niece and newborn baby living here, and they can’t even come downstairs because the smell is not healthy for me, my mother, and my sons,” he shared.
While acknowledging the government’s ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure, George questioned the competence of the project engineer, stating that proper drainage planning should have been a top priority before laying the new road.
“The engineer that was involved in the area and approved this work should have known that you cannot put any structure over a gutter,” he argued.
Residents are calling on the Ministry of Public Works and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to urgently intervene and correct what they describe as a poorly executed project, before the situation worsens with heavier rainfall.
