Several areas across the country have been affected as a result of heavy and continuous rainfall and Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud on Thursday visited the Lower Pomeroon, Region Two to assess the impact.
He was accompanied by Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth and Chairman of Region Two Alli Baksh and other officials from the ministry.
Minister Persaud met with farmers and residents at Dartmouth where farmers were being trained at a field school and he warned them that the weather forecast for the coming weeks predicts fewer drier days, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
However, Persaud encouraged the farmers to use the temporary setbacks caused by the prevailing La Nina weather phenomenon as a motivation for a positive approach in the future.
And in analyzing the amount of rainfall Guyana has experienced so far this year in comparison to last year’s figures, Persaud said “in mid-March we already surpassed 70 percent climbing close to 100 percent”.
As result of the government’s thrust to make the drainage system more adaptable to the effects of the changing weather pattern, a recurrence of the 2005 disaster was avoided, Persaud said.
He noted also that since the commencement of the La Nina season, NDIA workers have intensified monitoring of the country’s drainage system and this has resulted in less damage to crops.
“We need to maximise every single opportunity of sunshine we get, that means when we see fair weather let’s harvest our crops…..even if we have to work in the nights,” the minister urged farmers.
Persaud also called on NDIA workers and members of the Water Users Association to take full advantage of limited dry days to accelerate their work programme in the maintenance of dams and drainage systems.
Meanwhile, Persaud informed them about the assessment being carried out by the ministry to identify the type of relief support farmers may need to revive from setbacks caused by the continuous rainfall.
Farmers were updated on current and upcoming interventions that are to be undertaken by the government to bring relief and support to those affected, GINA reported.
Teams were in Leguan, Wakenaam and in Regions 2, 4 and 10 and other areas assessing and identifying other interventions that may be needed to bring faster relief, Persaud said.
In preparing for the rainy season, he said, the NDIA has been enhancing its fleet of equipment across the country and as the need arises more measures will be taken.
The agriculture minister said that pumps are working and the Ministry of Agriculture is engaging excavators to work with the farmers’ committee, and other interventions are being made to aid with drainage in Region Two.
He reiterated that Guyana’s drainage system was built to accommodate 1.5 inches of rainfall and government is consistently working to change that as it continues to look at other interventions to deal with climate change and its effects.
At Lilydale Primary, Lower Pomeroon River, Persaud informed citizens about government’s plans for the communities along the river and briefed them on several major drainage programmes being undertaken in the Pomeroon River communities that will cost more than $26M.
