Several communities along the Mahaica Creek were last evening preparing for the worst, as the authorities began a controlled release of water to reduce the level of the dangerously-high East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).
Following several days of persistent rainfall, the Board of the EDWC yesterday announced that water in the conservancy had reached a threatening level and that a controlled release would have to be made into the Mahaica Creek.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture before lunchtime yesterday, the Board stated: “Due to continuous rainfall resulting from the La Nina weather phenomenon, the level of water (in the) East Demerara Water Conservancy has reached a threatening level and still rising. As a last resort, the Commission of EDWC has taken the decision to have controlled release of water through the Mahaica Creek via the Maduni and Lama outlets. Water will be released via the Lama and Maduni Sluices at low tides commencing at 16:00 hrs today.”
The statement noted that from the start of the La Nina period, excess water was being released from the EDWC into the Demerara River via the five-door sluice at Land of Canaan and outlets at Kofi and Cunha.
The Board urged that all precautions be taken to ensure that the discharge of water did not “acutely aggravate an already rising Mahaica Creek” due to the “historic level of rainfall along the coast and in the upper reaches which flow into the various creeks and rivers.”
Residents in the upper reaches of the Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks were urged in the statement to be on the alert and to take precautions in light of the impending release of water to prevent any pressure on the dam. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has been informed of the decision.
“The average level of the EDWC is 57.8 GD which is just above the full supply level of 57.5 GD. The height of the Conservancy Dam is 59 GD,” the statement added.
At Little Baiboo, along the Mahaica Creek, residents were already making preparations for floodwaters during a visit to the area by Stabroek News yesterday. Senior citizen Shamir Hussain noted that the area, which is usually prone to flooding, had been under water since Friday. The rains eased in the area around lunchtime yesterday. He said that since then the water level in the area rose and he noted that he had already lost a quantity of cash crops, which were in their ripening stage. He said that he was more concerned about the fate of his flock of sheep, noting that, “when the water level climb tonight, I dunno what will become of them.” He said that most residents were moving their animals to higher ground, but he was not so fortunate.
Hussain’s daughter, Grace Khan, who sits on a disaster committee within the Little Baiboo community, noted that the CDC contacted her early yesterday and informed that the area may be under water by nightfall since the authorities had no alternative but to release water from the conservancy via the Mahaica Creek. She said that the notice came as a surprise to most in the area, since most persons had cash crops which were expected to be picked shortly.
She said that she had close to 1,000 roots of bora and other cash crops which needed two weeks more before they could be picked. According to the woman, “today me just decide to pick wah look ready.”
Over at the nearby Big Baiboo community, residents noted that the water level began to rise since around lunchtime yesterday and while most persons complained of the huge losses they had suffered on their farms, farmer Hari Ram, 63, was concerned about the effects the imminent floodwaters may have on stocks of cement and sand for which he had no alternative in terms of storage.
He said that he spent close to $40 000 to purchase and transport a load of sand to his home and, according to him, “tonight the sand and the cement will be no more and it means more losses for me.” He noted that he had already suffered over the past two days, since he lost some 3,000 roots of bora and more than 500 plantain stalks to the floodwaters.
He noted that in 2009, he suffered millions in losses and that “this time around it go hit me hard because I now catching up with losses from the last time.”
His neighbour Amaldass Ramdass, a major cash crop farmer at Big Baiboo, told Stabroek News that he supplies cash crops mainly to the export market and he too suffered losses over the past two days. He said that the expected flooding of the community will see him facing a major setback, since most of his crops had just passed midway through their growth stages.
Further down the Mahaica Creek at Grass Hook, Ramdass (only name given) and his three sons were salvaging whatever they could of cash crops the family had been depending on heavily. Ramdass noted that his losses were “too much,” while adding that he already lost in excess of 25,000 roots of bora, 400 roots of pumpkins and another quantity of watermelons to floodwaters.
He said that as the water level rose yesterday afternoon, he and his sons decided to retrieve whatever they could from the farmlands. An upset Ramdass said, “I dunno why they can’t do something to prevent this because every time the conservancy peak water does have to blow down this end and disrupt we life.”
Last evening, residents in the community noted that the water level was rising slowly but this newspaper was told that the authorities were expected to shut the doors at the Lama and Maduni Sluices later in the evening.
Over the years the communities along the Mahaica Creek had been flooded as the authorities had no other alternative to release water from the conservancy to significantly reduce water levels there. Work on the much hyped Hope Canal, which the administration is banking on as an
alternative to avoid repeated scenarios such as at the Mahaica Creek, remains in the infancy stages and have ironically been hampered by the prevailing weather.
