Govt re-establishing sea, river defence rangers -Minister Edghill

Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill says the sea and river defence rangers programme will be reintroduced to prevent and detect breaches early.

He made the disclosure during a meeting with residents of Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two) at the Suddie Early Development Childhood Centre on Sunday. The Minister was part of a team that accompanied President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on an outreach to that region, and Essequibo Islands – West Demerara (Region Three) on Sunday.

“We will have rangers patrolling the sea defences so we do not have to wake up and hear there was a breach. The rangers will be able to alert us way ahead of time,” Minister Edghill said.

Restarting the rangers programme will enable the Government to focus on the maintenance of sea defences, rather than emergency works. It would also safeguard farmers from suffering losses due to breaches. While the Government will continue to use drones, they are not as effective as having personnel on the ground, the Minister said.

By Isaiah Braithwaite