The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has started works costing over $7M at Pomeroon to assist farmers and residents often affected by excessive spring tides.
“This intervention had arisen from a request made by farmers who had lost crops as a result of the spring tides. The embankment will now provide support and protection from any overtopping of the Pomeroon River while the drainage structure at Grant Kitty, Pomeroon has already provided drainage relief to some residents and farmers who were affected,” the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement yesterday.
It said that to date, approximately 150 rods of embankment have been raised from Akewini Creek mouth to Grant Victoria Lands and a drainage structure with a temporary door has been completed.
The statement said that the NDIA along with the Regional Democratic Council is presently involved in the cleaning of the drainage canals along the Region Two coastline. Pumps have also been installed at Devonshire Castle, Windsor Castle, Anna Regina and Hampton Court to increase the drainage capacity. In addition, at Supenaam, approximately 3,200 rods of canals were dug for farmers, the Ministry said.
Meanwhile, it said that there has been “some accumulation of water” in the region from Anna Regina to Devonshire Castle, but water is receding due to mechanical pumping. The Ministry said that the NDIA is also monitoring the current La Nina weather pattern around the country and making necessary interventions.
While Region Three has experienced some amount of rainfall, it said there have been no alarming reports.
Excavation works are ongoing at La Jalousie and Nismes while the Windsor Forest sluice is now operable, it said.
In Region Four, water levels as a result of the rains are manageable with excavation works being undertaken in areas such Cane Grove, Agriculture Road and Hope. In regions Five and Six, even though they have experienced some amount of rainfall, there have been no reports of flooding while there were no adverse reports from Region Ten, the statement said.
The NDIA will continue to monitor the situation closely as the current La Nina phase persists.
To date, all conservancies’ water levels have remained manageable, the Ministry said.
