Dear Editor,
Migration over the years has hit the tiny East Canje Berbice community of New Forest, located some thirty minutes from the town of New Amsterdam, as its name suggests, amidst a forested area. The area is the final one along the East Canje corridor just after Gangaram Settlement. I recently paid a visit to the community, which is populated with just about 25 families. Water is the major concern of residents there.
In several interviews with residents, I was told that the area had been well populated and was buzzing with activity back in the day. The Zorg Primary School, according to one resident, had over 300 children during the PNC days. Today, it has just about 20 children with 2 teachers. The area, one resident said, in colonial times had coffee estates.
I sat down with an elderly resident, who has been residing in the area for over 50 years. He said that he enjoys life in his village but there is a severe water problem. The pump station was constructed under the present administration, and the officials made an agreement with residents that they would have to find their own pump operator/attendant, fuel, etc, to operate the station. But, over time, persons had left the village in search of a better life elsewhere, the pump station was taken out of operation and potable water became virtually non-existent. He said brand-new pipelines had been laid throughout the village. He is dissatisfied, though, that two security guards are stationed at the pump and are paid, according to him, a combined sum of $600,000 a year by the government. This money was wasted paying for security for a structure which has not been in operation for quite some time now.
The main source of water, according to the resident, is the Canje Creek, although it is impossible to use the water from this source “when the river run salt, and when it not salt it’s mud.” He said that GuySuCo would usually take water into the community once a week, but there was not a fixed time or schedule so if residents went out, they missed the opportunity to collect some drinking water.
There is a reasonably passable road to access this community. There are lots of turns and bridges, presumably built and maintained by GuySuCo. The corporation also has a drainage pump in the area and a power station at the far end of the village, which sends power to the pump.
Owing to its sparse population and remote location, New Forest does not have electricity or health services. The residents say that they seek assistance out in the main East Canje areas should there be a health emergency. “Many people have connections to villages outside East Canje,” they said. They are also not fearful of any illegal activities in the area. Crime is virtually non-existent, they say.
Let’s hope some ease can come to the residents with regards to the water situation as this is a commodity which sustains the very life of any people.
What was once a thriving farming community, especially in the area of cattle farming, is today a meagrely populated area with low-scale farming and nothing much to do but to relax and enjoy the quietn and sounds of the animals and birds, and, now and again, the travelling speedboats from the nearby creek. That is what life is like today in New Forest, a district people know very little about, but typical of where small pockets of our people live and where they have grown accustomed to the simple life. They wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran
