The local Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) office has announced that there was no threat from flood-related diseases in Guyana and that the county was safe for visitors.

In a statement issued on March 18, it said it “appears that potential visitors to Guyana are still being misinformed about the health situation in the country.”

The statement added: “The surveillance information as monitored by PAHO/World Health Organisation indicates that there is no threat to life from flood related diseases. It is therefore safe for visitors to come to all regions of the country. . . . At present, the health situation has returned to its pre-flood level with no evidence of flood related diseases.”

Tourism officials have said that advisories by the British and Canadian High Commissions and the United States Embassy against their citizens visiting Guyana after the January floods, have led to a slump in tourist arrivals. The Guyana Tourism Authority and others had argued that the advisories were uncalled for since tourist sites were not affected by the floods and only two hotels on the East Coast Demerara were hit.

PAHO/WHO also noted that Dr Mirta Roses Periago, PAHO Director, during her visit to Guyana in early March, congratulated the Government of Guyana and particularly the Ministry of Health on the management of the disaster and particularly in controlling the health related diseases.

Short-term $2.8B flood recovery package unveiled

President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday announced an initial $2.8 billion package to help flood-hit communities and sectors recover over the next three months. He said the acute disaster response phase of activities in the wake of the devastating January floods in three coastal regions was over and the programme he outlined covers only short-term interventions.

Mr Jagdeo reported that the economic loss from the floods was massive and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has estimated this at 60 percent of GDP. ECLAC has estimated that 70 percent of households were seriously affected in Regions Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica) and Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Georgetown. As such each of those households will receive a grant of $10,000.

A secretariat to implement the package will be appointed next week and assessment teams will go into the fields to determine losses in crops and livestock in farming communities.

The President said $700 million has been set aside for agriculture grants, while a similar sum has been earmarked for assistance to farmers in cash or kind, including seeds, fertilisers and other inputs.

A task force has been established to identify needs in the drainage systems which require urgent attention, and $100 million has been allocated for this.

A sum of $800 million will be expended on short-term repairs to the East Demerara Water Conservancy and drainage infrastructure in Georgetown.

For the education sector, $150 million has been allocated and will be used to provide textbooks, school uniforms, furniture and improving water and sanitation facilities in the affected schools.

To repair health facilities, $50 million will be spent and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) will provide support for the health recovery programme. Water treatment plants and water transmission systems, heavily hit by the floods, have been allocated $320 million.

In addition to the $50 million already been spent on post-flood garbage disposal, and additional $50 million will be provided for this activity.

The President acknowledged that the sum offered to households is paltry but this could be used to help defray the cost of cleaning up houses and do minor repairs.

Activities over the next three months of recovery include:

1. cleaning-up and restoring the physical environment

2. providing support for households in restoration activities

3. improving drainage systems and restoring other infrastructure

4. restoring pre-disaster levels of public services in education, health and water

5. providing start-up assistance in the productive sector

The following short term measures have been identified for urgent attention:

1. Repairing release drainage canals from the East Demerara Water Conservancy

2. Repairing kokers and sluices in the affected areas

3. Clearing drainage channels in East Demerara Water Conservancy

4. Strengthening the East Demerara Water Conservancy Dam

5. Improving drainage systems (secondary drains)

Guyana lost US$500M during floods

Severe flooding cost Guyana’s economy more than US$500, including losses to tourism, agriculture and other businesses the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) declared on March 26. The losses amounted to almost 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

The manufacturing industry suffered US$30 million in losses after factories were flooded and retail businesses were forced to close. Damages also included thousands of acres of ruined agricultural crops and thousands of lost livestock, ECLAC reported. The fledgling eco-tourism industry lost about US$5 million.

Torrential rain started at the end of December and lasted well into January. At least 34 persons died in the flooding, mostly from flood-related disease. The floods affected much of the coastal areas and affected more than half of the country’s 750,000 people.

ECLAC, in its assessment of the flood, urged the government to improve it drainage system before the April-June rains

Guyana has received some US$6 million in cash and material donations, and aid from a number of countries including Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Great Britain, India, China, Japan, Suriname, Chile and Venezuela.

Canada helps Guyana rebuild

The Canadian Government announced on March 30 that it would l provide over an additional C$2.7 million to carry out short-term recovery activities in response to the recent flooding in Guyana. The funds will be provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The fund will be allocated for various projects, i.e.:

$1.87 million to the Drainage and Irrigation Board of the Government of Guyana to restore drainage and irrigation systems, to strengthen the East Coast Demerara dam, to restore outlets and pumps in the seawall, and to ensure the infrastructure system will be able to sustain the upcoming rainy season; $362,000 to the United Nations Development Programme to monitor and supervise this urgent work, ensuring financial and technical accountability; and,

$500,000 to the Partners in Rural Development to provide assistance to small-scale poultry producers to re-start their production, to improve nutritional standards in flood affected homes through the re-establishment of household vegetable gardens, and to help prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Final member of Integrity Commission sworn in

President of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) Fazeel Feroze on March 16 took the oath of office as a member of the Integrity Commission. The commission's Chairman and other members were already sworn in during October last year. The Chairman is Anglican Bishop Randolph George, while members are Feroze, Director on the National Commission for Family Pandit Ranbindranauth Persaud, and Secretary of the Guyana Council of Churches Nigel Hazel.

The last Commission expired in 2003. The Integrity Commission has a life span of three years.

The Integrity Commission was created in 1997 and headed since by Bishop George and comprised members of civil society. It stipulates that the President, ministers of government and senior public service officers must submit declarations on their assets.

Full recognition for Amerindians -- new building opened

The new building to house the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs at Thomas and Quamina Streets was on March 17 commissioned by President Bharrat Jagdeo during a ceremony attended by former President, Janet Jagan, Ministers of Government, members of the diplomatic corps, Amerindians and other groups.

The ceremony to mark the opening of the new $44 million building which will house the staff of the Ministry also included in its programme greetings from Amerindian chiefs (Toshaos) representing the ten regions of the country. There were performances by the hinterland scholarship students and other Amerindian cultural groups.

Noting the progress Amerindians have made under the present administration, President Jagdeo said,” If we’re going to make progress as a nation, no person or group could be left behind.” He said that though Government has achieved much in the area of Amerindian development, it has been a long struggle and they still have a long way to go.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, addressing the gathering, noted that the day was very significant and a historic one in the lives of the Amerindian people. She said the structure symbolizes many ideas, including the commitment of the Government to improve the lives of Amerindians.

DDL opens management and technology institute

Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) on March 23 formally opened its new Diamond Institute of Management and Technology (DIMATECH) to train more employees at Plantation Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Speaking on the occasion, DDL Executive Chairman, Mr. Yesu Persaud said the company takes pride in training its workers to compete in the global arena because its products are being marketed both locally and overseas.

He said they have some of the youngest managers who, through in-house and on plant training, hold very senior positions and, as their prime focus is on human resources, the best candidates are chosen for the respective jobs.

DIMATECH was established at Diamond in 2002 and, initially, comprised two small rooms and a library but, at the end of last year, the building was extended and now boasts two larger rooms and three syndicate rooms, a new sanitary block, kitchen and office, all with air-condition and up-to-date training equipment.

PAHO/WHO donates water-testing equipment

On March 23, officials of PAHO/WHO (Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation) handed over to the Food and Drugs Department of the Ministry of Health in Kingston equipment to be used in testing water quality.

Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who accepted the machines on behalf of the Government, said that the equipment will tremendously enhance the capacity and capability of the Food and Drugs Department in testing water quality within 24 hours, compared to the previous process, which required five days.

In his remarks at the handing over ceremony, Dr Enias Baganizi, Project Manager of PAHO/WHO Guyana, stated that funding for the equipment came from the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the British Department for International Development (DIFD) and the United States of America.

Return of the Clipper Adventurer

The cruise ship Clipper Adventurer, with 116 passengers, returned to Guyana three years after its pioneering visit to the country in March 2002, an interval which the ship’s captain hopes will be much shorter in the future.

“I will try every year to come, or at least every two years,” said Captain Philip Dieckmann during a media tour of the ship – moored close to Lau Lau Island, just off Hogg Island in the Essequibo River – on March 24.

This is the second time Dieckmann has brought his ship to Guyana as part of a South American “Great Rivers” tour that starts in the Amazon River delta, touches the Iles du Salut off the coast of French Guiana, travels up the Suriname River, then Guyana’s Essequibo River, with passengers disembarking in Trinidad and Tobago.

Most of passengers had departed either for trips to Baganara Island resort or to the Kaieteur Falls during the two-day trip.

Most of passengers were American senior citizens, mostly retirees, having a strong interest in eco-tourism, especially bird-watching.

Portrait of Cheddi Jagan unveiled in Parliament

Former president Cheddi Jagan's portrait was unveiled in the halls of Parliament on March 22, joining those of former Presidents Forbes Burnham and Arthur Chung.

At a ceremony attended by members of the Jagan family, members of the National Assembly, members of the Diplomatic Corps and other officials, tributes flowed for a man who devoted his life to the working class. Also at the ceremony was Indian artist Shobha Broota painted the portrait.

Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran said the portrait would serve as a reminder of the work that engaged Jagan's attention.

Prime Minister Sam Hinds said Jagan put people and country before himself. "We saw him as a protestor fighting and struggling against colonialism...the nation has benefited from his life," Hinds said.

Leader of the Opposition and of the PNCR Robert Corbin said the history of Guyana could not be written without the significant contribution of Dr Jagan. He said too that the history of the PNC could not be documented without the PPP.

"Despite our differences, the PNC and Burnham had continuous respect and admiration for Dr Jagan...I trust that this portrait reminds us of his contribution."

Cricket World Cup Stadium construction to begin in May

President Bharrat Jagdeo on March 17 announced that the contract for the construction of the Cricket World Cup stadium was concluded. A copy of the contract was presented to the President at the Office of the President by Chief Executive Officer of the Construction Division of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited, Mohandas Saini .

The construction of the 2007 CWC stadium at Providence on the East Bank Demerara is schedule to start in May. President Jagdeo said that he was satisfied that the signing of the contract was completed and work would now begin.

According to President Jagdeo the company chosen is an experienced company and has given all assurance that the stadium would be completed on time. The estimated cost of the stadium is US$25 million. Of this amount a $6 million grant was provided by the Government of India while a $19M soft loan was obtained from the Exim Bank of India.

The agreement for the construction of the modern facility has heightened cooperation between Guyana and India.

The stadium will be located on a 60-acre plot of land at Providence on the East Bank Demerara. It is expected to include a 25-foot radius pitch, with a 15,000 to 20,000 seating capacity, a residential village with approximately 400 houses, parking lots for some 4000 vehicles, a high security zone, cinema, conference hall, hotel, club and administrative office.

Guyana, Brazil to hold oil exploration talks

Guyana and Brazil will soon engage in talks aimed at opening up possibilities for joint venture offshore oil and gas exploration. This will take centre stage when a team from Petrobras, the Brazilian State Oil Company, visits Guyana shortly. This was reiterated in Parliament on March 7 by Foreign Affairs Minister Rudy Insanally. The impending meeting was announced during the visit of the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in February.

These discussions along with mechanisms for the implementation of the international road transport agreement for passengers and cargo between the two countries will form part of the deepening ties between the two countries, the minister said.

Insanally, who was speaking in support of the government's budget, said there are many promising opportunities for economic cooperation, which both countries can explore for their common good.

The minister also used his presentation to outline the positives of linkages as a member of the Association of Caribbean States and Amazonian Cooperation Treaty Organisation and the newly formed South American Community of Nations, which allows the country to be strategically placed to serve as a bridgehead for the Americas.

He pointed to recent visits of the Brazilian and Chilean heads of state as an indication of the deepening relations with that continent which will allow the unlocking of the vast potential such a relationship can bring to this country and other Caricom member states.

Insanally also highlighted the country's elevation to serve on the Bureau of the Rio Group along with Argentina and Brazil, which he noted as a great privilege and honour.

This will enhance the country's growing role within the hemisphere when it chairs the group and hosts the next summit in 2006, Insanally said.

The minister sees this as an indicator of the country's status since it would be the first time in the history of the group that an English-speaking country, with less than one million people will be presiding over an assembly of largely Spanish and Portuguese speaking peoples numbering in excess of 515 million.

Brazil experts help Guyana’s agriculture

Guyana’s agricultural sector will soon benefit from Brazilian expertise and technology through a bilateral agreement on cooperation in agriculture between the two South American neighbours. This follows the February visit by President of Brazil, Ignacio Lula da Silva.

A Brazilian delegation comprising representatives from the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC) and the Brazilian Agriculture Research & Livestock Cooperation (EMBRAPA), met acting Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh to concretise areas of cooperation.

The visiting team was headed by Ambassador Luro Moreira, Director of ABC. Director of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth said arrangements are in place for Guyanese agricultural technicians and farmers to receive training by experts in Brazil in producing cashew nuts and cultivating soya bean.

Ambassador Moreira said that development was at different stages in the various states of his country and some bear similarities to the Guyana situation.

As such, the Brazilian experts have a good understanding of local conditions, he said.

He alluded to the comprehensive advancements Brazil has made in soya bean and cashew nuts production and said his government is willing to provide assistance to Guyana to help it realise its agricultural potential.

Minister highlights improvements in Amerindian communities

During the budget debate in the National Assembly in early March, Amerindian Affairs Minister Ms Carolyn Rodrigues declared that the social and economic conditions of Amerindians have improved significantly over the past decade.

She highlighted advances in the transportation sector within Amerindian communities, and noted that the Lethem road has significantly reduced the cost of travelling from that area to Georgetown.

The Minister also spoke about improvements in education facilities in Amerindian areas. Recalling that 10 years ago fewer than 200 children in Amerindian communities had access to secondary schools, she said there were now eight secondary schools in hinterland communities, and eight dormitories providing 1,000 students with free meals and accommodation have already been built.

She added that 40 percent of her Ministry’s budgetary allocation would be utilised to provide scholarships for Amerindian students. This allocation has increased by 68 percent – from $37.7 million to $55.3 million.

According to the minister, there will be an increase in the number of Amerindian students at the University of Guyana under the scholarship programme. “At no time in the history of Guyana has education for Amerindians been so great,” she said.

Drawing attention to the number of Amerindian students who have excelled at the national school examinations, she said they have proven that once given the opportunity they can excel at the highest level.

Probably the highlight for the Ministry will be the tabling of the revised Amerindian Act in the National Assembly. The Act has not been revised since 1951 and is not in keeping with the needs of Amerindians. Consultations on the revisions are ongoing.

G$12M in flood relief from Venezuela

Guyanese nationals in Venezuela and Venezuelan citizens contributed more than US$62,000 (G$12.4 million) to the Guyana flood relief efforts. The first response came from Guyanese nationals living in El Tigre in eastern Venezuela and they were able in very quick time to raise more than 2 million bolivars (about US$1,100) which the Guyana Embassy in Caracas dispatched to the National Relief Council. At the same time, Guyanese in other parts of Venezuela also responded by sending relief supplies directly to their affected relatives in the flood-affected areas in Guyana.

The members of the Muslim community in the city of Valencia also responded by sending a four-member team in mid-March to Guyana to distribute cash and food hampers to affected residents in areas between Mahaicony and Ogle. The team dispensed assistance to the value of US$60,000 during their visit to Guyana. This assistance included cash donations to persons who needed urgent medical care.

Earlier, the Venezuelan Government had responded very quickly by dispatching a medical and technical assistance assessment mission to Guyana, and this was followed by delivery of substantial supplies of food, medicine, and equipment including boats for the affected population.

• Guyana has agreed to ratify the Global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that sets standards for advertising and publicity of health warnings about tobacco use. As such, the Ministry of Health will be moving to Parliament with the enabling motion, adoption of which would see Guyana depositing the Instrument of Ratification at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

• Guyana last year received remittances amounting to about US$143 million, an increase of US$6 million, compared to the previous year, according to researchers of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund.

• Volunteers from the Guyana Red Cross Society on March 22 distributed US$100,000 in household articles donated by the German Red Cross to 200 households in the Sparendaam Squatting Area. Rolf Stotz, a volunteer from the German Red Cross, said the donation is part of the flood-relief effort.

• A Venezuelan parliamentary delegation met with Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran and other Members of Parliament on March 18 to brief them on steps being taken to reactivate the Amazonian Parliament. Head of the delegation, Vice President of the Amazonian Parliament, Deputy Luis Acuna Cedeno said that the Amazonian Parliament was interested in protecting the Amazon as a regional integration body rather than as individual member states.

• The People's Republic of China on March 18 donated a G$12 million ophthalmology machine to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to help persons suffering from eye-related diseases such as cataracts. China's Ambassador to Guyana, Shen Qing handed over the machine to Dr. Madan Rambarran, Director of Medical and Professional Services of the GPHC.

• The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has made a G$1 million donation to St. Stanislaus College Farm Committee, towards the recovery programme following the recent flood that also affected the establishment. The money will be used to resuscitate the Antelope grass pasture, refurbish the milking parlour and repair the dairy processing unit and training centre.

• A 10-day “Festival of India” exhibition of Indian products opened on March 18 at the National Exhibition Centre in Sophia, Georgetown. Some 32 Indian companies exhibited products including furniture, clothing, jewellery, craft, leather items, musical instruments, beverages, religious items, pharmaceuticals and herbal medicines. Fifteen Guyanese companies associated with Indian products also had booths at the exhibition.

• Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Chairman Robeson Benn says there is not much illegal mining in the country. He noted that people have the impression that there are hundreds of illegal Brazilian miners in the interior, and noted that between 800-900 Brazilians are mining in the hinterland at any given period. This group, he said, is making a valuable contribution to the sector and the country since their presence has resulted in higher declarations of minerals.

• The Health Sector Development Unit of the Ministry of Health on March 16 launched an US$11 million HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project, in collaboration with the World Bank. The Guyana Government is contributing US$1 million to help supplement funds from other donors.

• The Police Force is moving to ensure greater public safety and more stability in the run-up to national elections scheduled within a year with key help from a team from the Scottish Police College. As part of the scheme, 18 senior police officers began a two-week "train the trainers programme" at the Felix Austin Police College in Georgetown under the theme "Training for Greater Efficiency and Effectiveness.”

• Construction has started on the new open air market at Charity, Essequibo Coast. When completed, the facility will accommodate vendors who, on Mondays particularly, cause congestion with their wooden stalls on the main public road..

• Hundreds of flood affected farmers in Pomeroon River have received assistance from the Government. More than G$1.8 million allocated by President Bharrat Jagdeo was used to purchase fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and vegetable seeds which were distributed to farmers in the Upper and Lower Pomeroon River.

• Coordinator of the Recovery Planning and Implementation Secretariat, Robeson Benn, on March 24 said the assessment of losses suffered by farmers and small business owners on the East Coast Demerara was completed. He said the next step is to verify the information collected before aid is distributed. Benn explained that 20 teams were deployed along the coast this week and collected 3,400 claims from small business owners.

• Some 100 land titles/transports were handed over to residents of Jibb housing scheme and Westbury squatter settlement on the Essequibo Coast by Minister of Housing and Water Shaik Baksh last on March 11.

Credits: Stabroek News, Chronicle, Mirror, Kaieteur News, GINA

Compiled and edited by Evangeline Ishmael