City drainage enhancement takes shape; consultations to start Nov 10th
November 04, 2025
Georgetown’s return to the former glory of being a Garden City seems poised with the City Drainage Development and Improvement Plan.
The plan includes enhancing and leveling parapets, modernizing and fixing existing drainage infrastructure, and removing derelict vehicles from the parapets within Georgetown.
On Tuesday, President Ali held a multi-agency meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Surveys Commission, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, and Georgetown Mayor and City Council, where he was briefed on the proprietary works being done before the actual rollout of the plan.
“Whilst we understand that there will be some amount of inconvenience, this is necessary for the health and well-being of the city, this is necessary for the improvement in your properties, the safety and security of your property, protecting your property from flooding, and this is also part of improving the value of your property. When we have a better-looking city, a cleaner city, a city that is better drained, and we have parapets that are respected, you will not see the short-term gain… but trust me, this will lead to enormous improvement of your property price and the of course, in the value of the city itself,” President Irfaan Ali noted.
The main, primary, and secondary drainage infrastructures within Georgetown, coupled with the sewer system, pump stations, sluices, and canals, will all go through a conditional survey to determine the amount of work that needs to be done with them to enhance the plan.
“We are asking residents of the city to cooperate with the team,” President Irfaan Ali noted.
“Several consultations throughout the different areas of the city commencing from Monday, the 10th of November, for the next three weeks, they will be scheduling before Friday, those consultations, the technical team will be coming to discuss their findings and the plans that we have here, and then listen also to input from the communities themselves”- President Ali explained
He said that he would like the public to know that the plan is not to cause tension but rather improve the value of city properties, and while some persons may not fully see the vision, the results will be visible as the plan develops.
There will also be a maintenance plan, which will be developed, and part of the idea is to have corporate Guyana adopt the parapets in front of their establishments, brand them, and ensure their upkeep.
The plan is being piloted in Georgetown, but focus is also going to be placed on the drainage system in other organized areas, all forming part of a priority under the Low Carbon Development Strategy, and is also part of the urban planning from the Ministry of Housing. The team will work along with the Ministry of Local Government in rolling out the plan in other communities.
