Farms hard-hit
Central Corentyne residents complained on Monday to Region Six Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha about the deep flooding they were experiencing and at Alness they blamed incomplete work by a contractor.Mustafa visited flood-affected areas in the Central Corentyne on Monday. Residents there came out and voiced their concerns as their living conditions were poor. According to the Alness residents, a koker on the northern side that was “half complete” is part of the reason for their floodwater not going down. They told Mustafa that the koker is preventing water from certain sections of Alness from flowing. This, compounded by the thick weeds in the drainage canals, has caused flood water to reach knee height in some areas. However, the regional chairman told Stabroek News that the main reason for “this area flooding” so much is fault of the Lancaster-Hogstye Neighbourhood Democratic Council. He feels that if they had been doing their job “this would not have happened.” The regional chairman subsequently promised the residents to have “a machine in the area by this afternoon or tomorrow” to clear the drainage canals and make alternative paths for the water to flow.
According to Vadram Roopdeo of Lot 102 Alness Village, whose kitchen is in water just below the knees, “we need help hey buddy. We never see water like this hey before.” He said that water has been like this ever since they had the heavy rain, “this water nah move one inch.
”Another resident, Hemwantie Persaud, of Lot 58 Alness Village, showed Stabroek News her cash crop garden which is under water. She said that on a daily basis “me used to sell one thousand, two thousand dollars from this same garden. Now me can’t get nothing.
”Travis Collins who had to move his animals showed Stabroek News the knee-deep water that his animals would have had to be in if he had not taken steps to move them to higher ground. He said that the water is not moving “like how them other area water a run. We want this water fuh move.” The regional chairman told Stabroek News, shortly after the visit at Alness that Region 6 over the past week or so has received some 19.5 inches of rainfall. And as a result of this Rose Hall Town, Chesney, No. 19, Letter Kenny, Whim to Alness, Black Bush Polder, and other areas have had excess water on the land. “The drainage system in the region can only drain 1.5 to 2 inches of water in 24 hours”. He went on to say that all the drainage canals and pumps are in operation throughout the region, removing water from the land.
He said that they have borrowed “11 pumps from Guysuco” and these have been spread throughout the region. At the moment, he said, he is mobilizing whatever resources he can to help reduce the amount of water on the land.
He is calling on the residents to desist from throwing garbage, “especially plastic bottles, boxes and other solid things in the drains,” this, he said, will “block drains and help to keep water on the land”
.“Why didn’t the regional authorities do all of this clearing, digging, and fixing before the place was flooded?”, the regional chairman was asked. He replied that the current drainage system cannot drain more than 1.5 to 2 inches of water in one day. Therefore, water will remain on the land for sometime after a period of heavy rainfall.
He hinted that the drainage structure in East Berbice, Corentyne may need to be revisited given its ineffectiveness.He also told Stabroek News that officials from the Ministry of Health have gone to various parts of Region 6 distributing health aids. And for those who have lost livestock, persons from within the Ministry of Agriculture will be visiting to see how they can assist. (Adrian Smith)
