Several villages along the lower East Coast of Demerara (ECD) were last evening under as much as 10 inches of water and residents were uneasy about the rising levels of the water in and around their homes.
Homes within the villages along the ECD between Cummings Lodge and as far as Enmore were flooded and residents noted that even though the area was blessed with sunshine for most of the day, water continued to accumulate.
According to an official at the Agriculture Ministry, the water that accumulated along the ECD yesterday and last evening was “the back water” of the general volume of water that accumulated over the preceding 24 hours. He said that the authorities had been pumping water out of the villages and he noted that with time the floodwater would recede. It was noted too by the official that rangers have been monitoring the general levels of the water conservancies along the Coastland and reports of overtopping of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) were denied.
The Timehri-based HydroMet Office, in a weather bulletin issued yesterday afternoon, stated that last evening and today partly cloudy conditions with showers could be expected over some coastal and inland locations. Today and tomorrow, variable cloudy conditions can be expected with possible isolated showers. For Georgetown, partly cloudy skies with intermittent showers are predicted for today. On Friday, generally partly cloudy conditions can be expected and for the remainder of the forecast period, occasionally cloudy conditions with intermittent rain were forecast.
At the Ogle Airport, three pumps were in operation since around 6 am yesterday as water flooded the area within the boundaries of the airport. Airport Manager Anthony Mekdeci told the media that the area had been under water since the persistent rainfall on Monday and he noted that the levels rose during the course of Monday night.
During a tour of the airport, Mekdeci noted that the operations at Ogle were being hindered by the rising water levels. He said that the smaller of the two runway strips at the airport was closed to operations and he added that on-going works to extend the larger runway had been stalled as a result of the floodwaters. The contractor was forced to cease work after most of the worksite was under water.
Mekdeci, however, noted that flights were operating at Ogle for most of the day but the operations of a few airlines, including that of Air Services Limited, were interrupted.
‘Better drainage’
A few homes in the nearby Cummings Lodge area, located south west of the airport, were under water and residents noted that a “blackish” type of water had been accumulating within their surroundings over the past 24 hours. A resident of South Cummings Lodge told this newspaper last evening that her yard was flooded during the day on Monday but she noted that while the rains eased yesterday she could not “understand what really happening and nobody ain’t saying anything.”
At La Bonne Intention, residents of Cherry Field and Onion Field told Stabroek News that their yards had been under water since Sunday. A resident of Onion Field said that the family’s livestock had been under threat since Monday, while also noting that she lost as many as two dozen ducks as a result of the floodwater.
Another resident noted that the “little track that we call a street” had been in dire need of repairs and she added that “we hope that the media could highlight these things because we only get feature when is flood time.” She said that the area was prone to flooding and she noted that “better drainage is what this whole East Coast want.”
Along the railway line embankment, a number of homes in the villages of Plaisance, Goedverwagting, Better Hope, Felicity, Montrose and Turkeyen, among others, were under as much as eight inches of water yesterday afternoon. Residents in those communities were forced to place their valuables, including appliances such as refrigerators, on higher ground. A few persons utilised small water pumps to drain the water out of their yards.
Further up the ECD, at the flood prone areas of Clonbrook, Dochfour and Bee Hive, residents there were cleaning up their yards and the bottom flats of their homes, which had been under water for most of the past two days. The waters began to recede during the course of the day yesterday, a resident said.
At Ruimzeight and surrounding villages on the West Coast of Demerara, residents noted that a significant volume of water had accumulated in their yards on Monday and up to yesterday the levels remained the same. A resident of Ruimzeight, who gave her name as Nikita, told Stabroek News last evening that the water level in her yard rose significantly yesterday morning and flooded sections of the bottom flat of her home.
