Dear Editor,
For several years now, the Drainage and Irrigation Department in Region No 2 has been shirking its responsibility to provide me with proper drainage for my 96 acres of rice land in one block at the first depth of Johanna Cecilia backdam.
Special seedling paddy was used to put the entire block under cultivation some three weeks ago, and all along the entire area remains under heavy flood waters much to my detriment. Further inundation is inevitable given the present rainy season, but this could well have been avoided with the implementation of corrective measures put forward by me.
The flooding is caused by a concrete tube koker which was installed at the opening of a dam, making it difficult for the water to recede. Before the placement of the koker, there was never ever any kind of flooding.
Following complaints made by me to the head of the Drainage and Irrigation Department here, I was advised to approach the Regional Vice Chairman, who, on being contacted stated that he would send a machine to remove the koker from the dam.
When the machine arrived, this was not done, and instead a trench was blocked when there was no need to do so.
The recurring flooding that keeps affecting me caused me to take legal action against the Drainage and Irrigation Authority which collects an annual rate charge of a thousand dollars per acre. With the intervention of the Ministry of Agriculture the matter was withdrawn on January 15, 2008 on the understanding that the concrete koker would be removed.
Since then and up to now, this is still to be done with my suffering and losses still continuing all the time.
Yours faithfully,
Ashraf Gani
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Robert Persaud, for any comments he might wish to make.
