Heavy rain over the past two days has left parts of the mining community of Mahdia inundated, affecting road transportation to and from the area.
This newspaper understands that the area had been experiencing periods of heavy rainfall over the past several days, but intense downpours over the past two days have left the low-lying parts of the community, including an area known as Danjou Hill, under as mush as five feet of water.
As a result transportation by road to this Potaro/ Siparuni township has been severely disrupted, including the route 72 minibus services which ply the Georgetown/ Mahdia route on a daily basis. The minibus park in the city was empty yesterday. A resident in the area told this newspaper that the Hand Rail Creek which passes through the bottom parts of Mahdia between the central part of the community, known as Admin Hill, and Blue Berry Hill, close to the airstrip, has overtopped.
Regional Chairman Senor Bell told this newspaper last evening that the region is prone to flooding during the rainy season and according to him, economic activities in the region, such as farming and mining are normally affected.
He said there is no need to be alarmed where the human factor is concerned as the population in the area is scattered. Mining – the key activity in the area – will be severely affected.
Bell said that he is currently on the coast but he has been in touch with the region and according to him the area had experienced continuous rainfall over the past several weeks as the rainy season began sometime in April, he noted, and may run into early July. Bell noted that the flooding close to Danjou Hill would normally recede after several hours, providing the rain eases since the water runs into the Kangaruma Falls, a tributary of the Mahdia River.
Bell noted that while the region’s roads are usually impassable during the rainy season, residents have available the option to travel by air as most of the communities in the region lie close to an airstrip. He said the added costs associated with road travel during this time usually add up where travelling by air is concerned.
A resident at Mahdia – which has a population of around 2,000 – told this newspaper that on Saturday the area had experienced moderate rainfall during the day but on Saturday night, she noted, the rain got more intense, as the creeks, which are sourced from the White Hole mining area, overtopped and flooded the valleys surrounded the community. She stated that the minibus operators were forced to halt their operations, with many of them being stranded on the ‘home’ side of Mahdia. She said that “a lot of people waiting to travel to town” to conduct business activities, as many expressed hope that the waters would recede. Residents in the area told this newspaper that since the May/June rains began they have been bracing themselves as many anticipated that the roads surrounding the area would have been flooded.
This newspaper understands that parts of the trail which connects Mahdia to the coastland have been under water, including the Mango Landing crossing, in the Mabura area in Region 10. Persons there told Stabroek News that the area had become impassable over the past several days and passengers had to be ferried across the water to connect to transportation on the other side of the road. Mahdia is about 100 miles by road from Georgetown.
Bell told this newspaper that the Essequibo River, which connects Regions 8 and 10 at Mango Landing usually overtops and this, he noted, was problematic. He said the pontoon utilized by the Mekdeci Mining Company to cross the river is usually hampered when attempts are made to moor on both sides of the crossing and as such small boats, which charge passengers an added $1500, ferry passengers to each side.