By Amar Panday
Residents between Peter’s Hall and Providence on the East Bank Demerara yesterday awakened to the crashing sound of a koker door being smashed and water gushing into their yards.
From all appearances, it was the case of the decrepit structure operated by GuySuCo succumbing to the ferocity of the high tide. Residents said that within moments of the breakage at around 2 am, the canal was overflowing with water which rushed into the homes of residents.
The Guyana Sugar Cor-poration (GuySuCo) later installed planks to keep the water out and up to press time yesterday the stop-gap structure was holding even though water flowed through openings at yesterday afternoon’s high tide. A new door is to be in place in two days.
Resident Roy Mohan of Parker Street, Providence said his small poultry operation came under threat and he had to scamper to rescue his birds. An indignant Mohan said his losses were definitely due to the negligence of the relevant authority. Mohan said the Government’s call for ‘grow more’ and increased production must be accompanied by support in infrastructure maintenance.
Other residents in the areas expressed their disappointment at having to scurry to save items from the raging waters. Stabroek News was shown a range of household items by various residents in the area which was affected and threatened by the flooding.
David Petam, the koker attendant, told this newspaper that he on several occasions filed complaints with GuySuCo which has responsibility for the maintenance of the koker. The residents who spoke to this newspaper, in unanimity, expressed their indignation over the collapsed sluice.
Eric Paul, a resident and former employee of GuySuCo charged that the “sole cause” of the early morning mishap was the neglect of the structure.
A press release yesterday from the Ministry of Agricul-ture said Minister Robert Persaud visited the site during the morning to inspect the ongoing works and assess the impact of the situation on the community.
The release noted that the General Manager (ag) of the GuySuCo La Bonne Intention Estate, Ramnarayan Rupan explained that the sluice was scheduled to be rehabilitated as works were recently undertaken on the Diamond and Herstelling sluices.
Agriculture Minister Persaud was quoted as saying “The koker was scheduled to be repaired as part of a rehabilitation programme by GuySuCo and it is unfortunate that before those works were completed a section of the sluice was damaged leading water back into the canal”. The release added “The Minister has ordered an investigation to determine (whether) there was negligence on the part of GuySuCo. The Minister noted that he went on site to ensure that urgent action was taken to repair the door and prevent further intrusion of water.”
The Ministry of Agricul-ture added that residents were assured that stop logs would be inserted to prevent a back flow of water into the canals during the high tide. A new door will be inserted within the next two days. The Minister has directed that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the NDC in the area monitor the repairs being undertaken by GuySuCo. Up to press time there was no separate statement from the sugar corporation and company officials could not be reached for comment.
When Stabroek News revisited the site around 4:30 yesterday afternoon to monitor the effect of the stop logs in withstanding the rising tides, it was noticed that water was still pouring inland though the effect of this inflow was not likely to prove disastrous.
The ministry release also argued that the drainage of the excess water in the area was hampered due to the acquisition of the neighbouring koker at Providence by a private individual. This matter is in the courts as the Government is seeking to repossess the drainage structure which was sold by GuySuCo about five years ago.
It also said that Persaud has established a team of engineers from GuySuCo, the NDIA and the NDC in the area to monitor the works being undertaken. It also said that the claim that the koker danger was reported earlier to the sugar corporation will be investigated.
In this regard Paul said that since this koker was the sole drainage facility for the villages of Peter’s Hall, Providence and over 400 acres of cane land, the build up of water in the context of gravity drainage during high tides placed formidable stress on an aged structure. Paul said that currently salt water was beginning to back up into cane roots which could have an injurious effect on the cane plant.
Yesterday’s early morning koker collapse came in wake of a renewed commitment by the drainage authorities to improve the national drainage infrastructure after the 2005 Great Flood.
A subsequent investigatory effort by a team of Dutch engineers had diagnosed several components of the national drainage apparatus to be unsatisfactory.
The Government had also shunned an imploration on the part of all parliamentary parties for a commission of inquiry into the inundation which would have been mandated with the task of recommending, in a coherent manner, a course of action for the improving of the national drainage apparatus.
In recent days two bridges have also collapsed under the weight of vehicles: in the Rupununi and the other not far away from the koker at New Providence.
