Government has repeatedly ignored requests for drainage works in Linden -says Region 10 Chairman

Making it clear that the Region 10 Democratic Council and the Linden Town Council will not accept blame for the Government’s sloth in allocating resources that could have alleviated the current flooding being experienced in the town of Linden, Region 10 Chairman, Deron Adams, this afternoon told News Source that it is time for the Government to stop shifting blame and to begin accelerating relief for the affected residents.

The Region 10 Chairman provided documentation that showed that since October of 2020, the RDC has been making requests of the Government for critical drainage works to be carried out across the region and in Linden.

He said in letters to the Minister of Agriculture and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, a list of critical drainage facilities that needed attention was provided, but there was no response.

Mr. Adams said it is the ignoring of the Region’s repeated request that is responsible for the current situation being faced in the town of Linden.

“The Regional Democratic Council under my tenure has been advocating for the prioritization of drainage systems for upgrades in Linden as well as in other outlying areas, like Kwakwani ect. And this policy decision was unanimously voted on and supported by both the Councilors who support the People’s Progressive Party and the Coalition. We understand that based on our work on the ground, the need for effective drainage and infrastructure, which of course would help to mitigate flooding and erosion, and despite these efforts, the Central Government has continuously disregarded these calls for action, and shockingly, they removed over 50 proposed drains from the budgets of 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 combined and only allocated 3 drains under the capital for those years”, he said.

In a statement on Tuesday, while announcing that the Government was dispatching relief teams to the Region 10 communities, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said the RDC and the Linden Town Council must shoulder the blame for the situation with drainage in the community that has triggered the flooding after heavy rainfall.

But the Regional Chairman said the Prime Minister’s position is misplaced and he knows very well that the Region does not handle the purse strings of the Government.

Mr. Adams said “the blame being shifted on the local leaders by the Prime Minister is unjust and unacceptable. I would have circulated to members of the public, that since 2021 as a Director of the NDIA, we completed a list of critical capital projects for those outfalls that lead to the Demerara River that should have been acted upon, and they completely ignored it. And the failure to execute those sensible policies where we said that drains must be constructed first and then roads, the blatant disregard for it, is what has led to this and so the blame must be laid at the feet of the Government”.

Adams is now pushing for those residents who suffered losses as a result of the floods to be fully compensated by the Government. He said the community will not accept blame for the Government’s own inaction.