Gusty Winds propel Coastal flooding from Essequibo Coast to Corentyne
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol Demerara Waves
Sunday, 28 April 2013 09:53
Several coastal communities from the Essequibo Coast to the Corentyne were Sunday morning under several inches of floodwater due to extremely high tides worsened by gusty winds, authorities said.Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn confirmed that a drainage sluice (koker) at Windsor Castle, Essequibo Coast has been damaged by the force of the waves. He said a team has been deployed to begin remedial works there.He said the Rupert Craig Highway would remain closed until Monday morning because the next high tide would be at 3 PM Sunday. The height would be 2.94 meters. Authorities are expected to clean up a thick and slippery sludge is left behind whenever the water recedes.The high tide and closure of the area means that there would not be the usual Sunday evening ‘lime’ on the seawall.On the outskirts of central Georgetown, in the Liliendaal-Blygezight area, residents woke up to several inches of heavily silted coffee brown water in their yards. The Public Works Minister said that although the Liliendaal pump was working, several drains and trenches in the area were blocked preventing the water from running off the land. Continue reading →
With the country’s biggest earners being threatened with low prices and in one case poor production, Government on Friday admitted that it is worried about the situation and has been examining a number of measures to ease the possible impacts on the economy.
According to President Donald Ramotar, prices for gold on the world market have indeed impacted on buying by the state-owned Guyana Gold Board. The Head of State was responding to questions on the low rice and gold prices and on sugar production.
Gold production has been a major prop for the country’s economy in recent years raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign revenues as price climbed to over US$1,800 per ounce at one time. It was an area that attracted more than US$100M in local and foreign investments last year, officials say.
Last year, gold production reached a record breaking high of 438,645 ounces, in the absence of large scale producer Omai Gold. The commodity earned US$737M. Continue reading →
