-by NaAsia Bristol

The Civil Defence Commission is stepping up preparations for El Niño, with a sensitization and consultation session held in Region Three today.

The session brought together key agencies to assess the region’s risks, identify gaps and strengthen its preparedness.

Representatives from the Regional Democratic Council, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, health, fire and police participated in the discussions.

CDC Director General, Nazrul Hussain, says the exercise is informed by lessons from the 2024 El Niño period, when several communities and sectors were affected.

“We had some critical situations in 2024, which we had never experienced, especially with the incident of wildfires, which impacted us tremendously all over Guyana. We had wildfires in the rice fields when they were burning rice straw. That was the agriculture sector. We had wildfires in the mangroves because people were throwing garbage in the mangrove and burning our mangroves. And we know how precious that is,” he said.
The experience has highlighted the need for stronger preparedness, particularly in areas vulnerable to the effects of prolonged dry conditions.

Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman, says careful monitoring and management of water resources will be critical in reducing the impact on residents and agricultural production.

“Region three is a primarily agriculture area and if we do not monitor our water system in a manner that is of utmost importance the consequences on our food production, our meat production can be devastated,” he said.

Stakeholders will now focus on protecting and managing water resources while strengthening regional preparedness for El Niño.