Residents’ fears of being flooded again in the Mahaica Creek have increased as the water level started to rise four days ago during heavy rainfall. They are “praying” that the water does not reach their farms and homes.
When Stabroek News visited the creek on Tuesday residents of Joe Hook, Grass Hook and Big Baiboo said the water in the creek was one foot above the normal level and “if a good overnight rain fall the entire creek would duck.”
They said though, “the water has to raise about one to two feet more in the creek to flood we; and we praying that it don’t happen.” The residents said they suffered enough losses during the last flood which ended about three months ago.
Some residents said that apart from the rainfall, the water level in the creek increased because workers “blow [released] water from the Maduni sluice into the creek.” They said that some farmers saw when this was done. However, when contacted, a government official denied that the measure was taken, saying, “There is no need to blow the Maduni sluice because there is no threat.”
He said that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority that manages the conservancy is currently “blowing water at the Five-Door sluice at Land of Canaan and at Cunha to maintain a safe level.”
One Mahaica Creek resident, Chetram Doodnauth, said he has already reaped bora because instead of having to worry about a flood destroying his crop, huge rats were doing the damage. “Ah was supposed to reap about 200 bundles of bora but me only get 30 bundles,” he said.
He and other residents are calling on the government to “assist we to get rid of the rats. We try all kinda things but we can’t manage the rats.” He said he had to sell some of his cows to get money to invest in this crop “and it hard to maintain the crop and buy chemicals and so.”
The Ministry of Housing had granted house lots to residents of Joe Hook and Grass Hook a few months ago to relocate to escape the flooding, but so far, only Chetram’s father, Doodnauth, and a brother, Danesh, have left the area.
About six weeks ago, the father and son removed their house on a pontoon and assembled it at Hope, but not on the land provided by government. Doodnauth and Danesh are residing on a portion of land that they had purchased about three years ago.
Chetram said his brother is “doing buying and selling of greens so he had to go close to where the farmers are for now.” They plan to occupy the government lot when they are given land to farm.
Another brother, Mohanlall Doodnauth, said after the flood he was all excited to get dry land again to replant but he did not get the crop he expected. “It was a great relief when the water start to draw off because we can get to do something again.
“But although me reap 7,000 pounds of watermelon me did not even make enough money to repay me debt. It hard on me because me have four children [including a pair of twins] to maintain and ah have to find $15,000 per week to buy ration
