Farmers of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder burnt tyres on the road yesterday in frustration over the stagnant floodwater on their farms which has resulted in losses of their rice, cash crops and livestock.
The protest started around 8.30 am yesterday and residents demanded urgent attention and an end to the “disaster” they are facing.
As their frustration escalated, they placed tyres across the road and set them alight. A team of police officers subsequently arrived and put the fire out. The police also managed to control the angry crowd that had started to build up.
When this newspaper arrived, the lawmen were still there maintaining the peace. The residents were also airing their concerns to Region Six Vice Chairman, Bhupaul Jhagroo, who promised to make representation on their behalf.
Later, Regional Chairman, David Armogan, as well as officials from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority visited the area.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, was also expected to visit the area.
The residents said the flooding was due to negligence on the part of the authorities.
According to them, the rain alone did not cause the flooding; it was mainly as a result of the blocked outfall channel at Number 43 Village that is now being cleaned.
Armogan had told this newspaper that he was aware of the blocked channel and said excavators were deployed there and at other areas to execute emergency work.
But residents lamented that the excavators were not adequate to do the job and were asking for two long-boom draglines that would clear it faster.
They pointed out that since the flooding started no one visited the area to tell them anything so they decided to vent their frustration to get some attention.
The residents told this newspaper that since last October the channel was blocked but because of the elections, no work was done. They said too that since then the level of water in the drainage outlet had been higher than in the irrigation canal.
“The water has nowhere to go so the canal overflow and flood the area,” they said. According to them, the vacant land in the area, which has overgrown bushes, is also contributing to the flooding.
They said the “government is trying but the people in the area who they put to represent them are not taking the right information to them about what needs to be done.”
Some said the water has flooded their outdoor bathrooms and pit latrines and they are unable to use them, thus being put in uncomfortable situations.
Rice farmer Hafiz Baksh told this newspaper that his 30-acre plot of rice was under “big water” and if the rain continues and the water cannot recede easily he would lose his crop.
Ravindra Jailall said his 15 acres of rice, only put in 25 days ago, is totally submerged. The young farmer said that was only his fourth rice crop so far. He has invested $1 million in the crop and is afraid too that if the water does not recede it would be lost.
Some residents who were eager to share their grievances with this newspaper pointed out that since the rain started one week ago their children were unable to attend school. The community drains, they said were flooded and others were in deplorable conditions.
As residents voiced their concerns about their loss, they wondered who would compensate them. They said farming was their only means of earning a livelihood and they were also worried about getting the money to reinvest in their crops after the flood.
They said too that due to the flood a snake ended up on the corridor of the Yakusari Primary School, creating panic among the students and teachers. A resident was called to kill the snake.
Cash crop farmer Shazad Vadi said for four days he battled to save his crop by pumping the water out but he ran out of money for fuel and had to watch helplessly as everything became submerged and destroyed.
His losses included one acre of squash, one acre of okra and half an acre of cucumber which were all at bearing stage.
A pastor in the area, Steven Wallace who is farming jointly with his neighbour, Dalmanie Benny said they lost four beds of peppers as well as squash, corilla and pumpkin.
Benny said her husband, Rabindranauth Benny is an amputee and she is struggling to maintain the family. Her losses have affected her severely.
For Balwant Singh whose wife suffers ill-health, it was very hard for him to lose his 50 white chickens, weighing two and a half pounds, 16 creole fowls and crops in his kitchen garden.
Nearby, Shameeza Khan said she and her husband invested in one bed of boulanger that they had already started to reap from and two beds of red beans which they have lost along with a few ducks.
They also lost a 15-acre plot of young rice and are trying desperately to save another plot.
Another cash crop farmer, Yazid Ally said he has already lost almost 50 fowls and ducks and had to give the others away because he was afraid of losing them too.
He too was trying his best to save his five acres of cash crops which include boulanger, ochro, beans and bora. He said he was pumping the water out but his neighbours were complaining that he was flooding them in the process “but their yard was already flooded.”
