Heavy rainfall swamped sections of Laluni yesterday leaving anxious farmers fearful for their crops and renewing their plea to the authorities to clear the overgrowth that clogs the Laluni Creek.
Government officials on visits to the community had repeatedly promised to clear the creek but it was never done, residents told this newspaper during a visit to the community yesterday. Following heavy rains on Sunday and yesterday, floodwaters in sections of the community rose to levels not seen in years, leaving some homes swamped and crops under water.
Residents in areas close to the creek in the farming-dependant community scrambled to save their belongings as water levels rose rapidly and up to yesterday afternoon they were keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that the waters would recede and their plants would not be too badly damaged. Those affected also include those close to streams, where water levels also rose.
The pot-holed road leading to the community off the Linden-Soesdyke highway was accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles.
Linden Dundas was one of those who scrambled to save his home as the water rose as high as two feet. “From 5 o’clock (in the morning) me ain’t really move from here. If me left here, the place gon flood,” he said standing on a dam that he had made to prevent an overflowing stream from flooding his home. He also dug ditches to keep the water away but the high waters reached his home. While they eventually receded, some water still flowed around his home up to late yesterday. He said that he did not know how the water would affect about 150 cherry plants that were swamped close to his home. “The water going down but if the rain fall, it gon flood again,” he said. He was worried about his farm at Number Four, Laluni, which was flooded but said that he did not go and check as he concentrated on saving his home.
“When the creek de clear, we never get it like this,” another resident observed. One recalled that it was since 1977 that the creek was last cleared by the Demerara Tobacco Company (Demtoco), which had its tobacco operations in the area. Since then, despite pleas to the Ministry of Agriculture and other government officials, the creek was never cleared, residents said. “They only promising, promising… we talking and talking and they only promising, promising.”
Edward Patterson was also affected by the flooding with about an acre of oranges and about two acres of cherries affected. He said the flood was the biggest in recent times and also said that this was because of the blocking of the creek. The water was up to the doorsteps of his home yesterday.
Desiree Patterson, who lives nearby, was not so lucky. Water entered the bottom flat of her home. “If the creek clear right now, the water gon flow free,” she said, while noting the many promises that were made to them in the past. “They promise road, they promise light, they promise water. Nothing we get. All they doing is just promising,” she said. Because of the rains and the flooding, many of the children stayed home from school yesterday.
“We does get flooding steady but it never get so high like this one,” said Seema Ferreira, whose home was completely surrounded by water. Sections of a nearby orange grove were under water and she said that they had killed some snakes. Her home was only accessible by boat yesterday.
Victoria Patterson said that her farm was under water and her crops like beans, karila and pumpkin were flooded. She said that her passion fruit nursery was also flooded. “Everything just cover and that is what grieving we,” she said. “Nobody really don’t care and look pon we.” She called for the creek to be cleared, pointing out that as long as it was cleared, even if there was a great amount of rainfall, the water would pull off quickly. She noted that their crops like oranges were their only means of earning a livelihood. “We does got to plant dem small crop between to live,” she said. Patterson noted that if the water remained on the land for much longer, the crops would “done.”
At Yvonne Ferreira’s home, the water had reached into the kitchen in the bottom flat. She and her husband, Morris Ferreira also noted that Demtoco used to clear the creek. But since the company wrapped up its operations there, the creek was never cleared. Morris noted too that since markets have not been treating them well, they also face other predicaments in farming. He said that it has become harder to farm with pests such as parrots and deer affecting the crops. He said that although he had applied for a firearm licence years ago, it is yet to be approved. He, along with other relatives, plant 20 acres of oranges, cherries, pepper, saeme, and passion fruit, among other crops.
In Number Three, Laluni, Bissondial Motilall was raising the dams at the side of the road to prevent water from pouring over onto the other side. He said that the canals have not been cleared as well as the creek, contributing to the flooding.
He said he had to bail out water from his bottom house yesterday. Other homes in the vicinity were also flooded and the bridge that linked Number Three and Four was completely covered with water. Several farmers stayed home working to prevent water from reaching their fields. They noted that they had not checked their farms but said that given the high levels of water, it was likely that these were flooded too. They also called for the Laluni Creek to be cleared.
