Following the discovery of a sea defence breach at sections of Belladrum/Foulis and Plantation Brahan, West Berbice a few days ago, residents are calling for it to be fixed urgently as “the entire community is under threat.”
This newspaper visited the area late yesterday afternoon as the water was gushing through breaches along the sea defence dam.
A few residents were also there observing what was taking place. Even though the water has not yet started to get into the residential areas, residents are afraid that it would not be long before that happens. So far only one woman has complained of the “salt water” entering her garden. Other residents said they are not able to use the water from the façade canal on their gardens or it would cause their crops to die.
A resident, George Allen told Stabroek News that five days ago he went to bring in his cows when he noticed that the dam had started to erode and water was seeping out from the sea-defence.
He said he reported the matter to officials of the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary/Agricultural-Development-Authority and officials visited later and “promised to send a machine to fix the problem.”
Residents said they were not pleased with a report in the media yesterday by the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the problem was caused by overtopping.
They pointed to a long stretch of the Belladrum area that has boulders and said that the erosion could have been avoided if boulders were placed on the breached section as well.
Further, they said the contractor had damaged the road with heavy-duty vehicles and promised to fix it after the project was completed.
However, he has not returned to the area and the dam is posing an inconvenience, especially to students and teachers from a nursery school located along the dam.
During the rainy weather it is difficult for them to traverse and they are forced to use another dam in the nearby Paradise Village and then cross a narrow bridge to get to the school.
The GINA release had stated that works are currently ongoing at Plantation Brahan to enhance the sea-defence in that area and that a contract for the construction of a sluice at Belladrum/ Foulis is awaiting approval, GINA said.
