Key koker only now being cleared
It was watery misery for a 13th day in Dochfour, East Coast Demerara yesterday and a major cause of the flooding, the silted-up Hope Koker is only now being cleared.
The Hope koker is the main drainage structure for the area but it has been silted up for several months now, this newspaper was told. On a visit to the said structure yesterday during the low tide, the koker door was open but the water appeared stagnant. A pump that was stationed there was not in operation at the time and it was explained that when the koker was opened, the pump could not be turned on.
A pontoon with two excavators was in the outfall channel but neither of the two machines was in operation. At the time, which was just around 5pm, the tide was some distance out. Stabroek News had stopped at the Hope koker just after visiting Dochfour, where the water was still very high on the land and did not appear to be receding.
Given the stagnant water at the koker during the low tide it was deduced by residents that the silted up koker channel is a major reason for the floodwater remaining on the land for so long and the state of the channel is contrary to the Ministry of Agriculture’s statement that “all systems are intact to minimize water accumulation”.
This newspaper was told that over a week ago the pontoon had been at the koker but was re-deployed elsewhere. It only returned on Saturday and it was pointed out that when it could have been in operation during the low tide yesterday, it was not. This state of affairs was criticized by several residents gathered there yesterday who attributed it to “bad management”.
The floodwater level in Dochfour has fluctuated but it was always at a high level for the past two weeks and while many others would have been celebrating the Christmas season, residents in that community have to contend with dead crops and livestock, foul, fetid water filled with worms and other animals invading their homes and a feeling of helplessness. Many say that the current floodwaters are higher that what they had experienced during the 2005 Great Flood.
Lament
For Waveney Melville, the loss of three goats out of a flock of ten, six chickens along with nine ducks is a great one. But she is not the only one to record losses. It was a lament of many persons, who spoke with this newspaper and in frustrated tones they said that no one really seems to care about what happened to them.
Almost all of the residents are farmers, who had hoped that they would have made a “lil something” selling their produce during this season but that hope is now gone and some said that they were running out of supplies. This newspaper visited several farms yesterday and the dead, rotting and/or stunted plants were pointed out. Crops, like squash were rotting in the fields.
Farmer Bridgemohan Mohabir, was visibly upset as he surveyed his water- filled kitchen. With his field of ochro, squash and thyme flooded and his goats and sheep missing and food supplies running low, there is nothing for him to be cheerful about. Kalowtie Persaud, a widow and farmer, who is hosting her daughter and family, who were forced to flee their flooded-out home, shook her head while staring about the place with eyes, very close to tears. “About 30, 40 fowls dead, me chicken and ducklings all dead out, the ochro all duck”, she stated. There are seven persons in her home, including a week old baby and she said that her supplies are running low. “We ain’t getting money to buy back nothing”, she stated staring at the water which had invaded her yard.
Ramdial Doodnauth said that it seemed that no one cared. He stated that he lost two acres of carila, bora, ochro and squash. “They nah care for poor people”, he stated. He declared that it was only when the rain fell, that a problem with the koker was discovered.
“Nobody nah seh or do nothing, nobody nah business” said Dhanraj Manooj. “The rain is God wuk but this what happen, they can definitely do something about it”, he added.
Residents were asked if they were willing to be evacuated. Most said no, stating that they were worried about the security of their homes. Asked whether any official had visited the area, the residents related that Dr Rupert Roopnaraine of the Guyana Citizen’s Initiative (GCI) had visited and a small amount of Jeyes Fluid and a bottle of bleach were distributed to each household. They were also told to record their names and losses suffered and it was stated that doctors would be deployed to the area today.
Contacted, Roopnaraine, who is project director of the GCI, said that he along with a team visited several areas including Dochfour yesterday. He said that there is a difference in the water from 2005 and now, with the current water flooding the land being stagnant. Roopnaraine stated that people are sick and tired but until the Hope koker is fixed there would be no relief for the residents. He said that although the team distributed some anti-itch cream, there needs to be a full-scale medical clinic because there are unknown health threats. He noted that GCI is working in collaboration with the East Coast Clean-up Committee and at the moment the organizations are collecting data and further efforts would be undertaken in the coming days. He declared that the response by the authorities was “desultory”.
Intense monitoring
Meantime, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a press release that its Crops and Livestock Department has continued its “intense monitoring” and provided technical assistance to farmers and yesterday teams visited the communities of Unity/ Lancaster, Greenfield/Bee Hive, Annandale/Dochfour, Buxton/Vigilance and Bache-lors Adventure/Enterprise/ Paradise. The teams will continue to visit affected
areas; the release said adding that farmers in affected areas who are desirous of assistance are urged to contact the officers assigned along the East Coast; Dr. T. Meghoo (622-8264) and Dr. O. Dutson (651-9873). Dochfour residents had told this newspaper that they had called the Ministry’s hotline but it had either rung out or they received a busy tone.
President Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference on Saturday at State House had said that Government continues to make interventions to enhance drainage in light of the severe rainfall and at present there are about 50 pumps and 12 excavators working on the East Coast of Demerara which is twice as much as were working in 2005 when a similar amount of rainfall was experienced.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported the President as stating that in spite of Government’s committed efforts to provide adequate drainage and irrigation services, there is expected to be some level of discomfort from water accumulation, since the current drainage system is designed to deal with only 1.5 to 2 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period.
With regards to health facilities, GINA reported that President Jagdeo said that Government has made arrangements to provide health services and drinking water to residents in affected areas by placing personnel from the Ministry of Health ‘on the ground’ and ensuring that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is fully engaged in providing drinking water and the Ministry of Agriculture is consistently monitoring drainage in these areas.
But residents of Dochfour stated that persons who visited the area did not say much. “Ah glad for water to pull out” said one resident echoing a sentiment expressed by all the persons, who spoke with this newspaper. Many cited the non-functioning Hope koker as a major contributor to their woes.