In this week’s edition of What the People Say, residents of Berbice commented on issues affecting them and about the recent flooding due to heavy rainfall and what the councils in Regions Five and Six could do to help the situation.
Photos and interviews
by Shabna Ullah
Leswyn Campbell, plumber, `My village, Hopetown suffered a little flooding and I think the regional officials should get the sluice in the village opened. If not the area would continue to suffer flooding. I just had a little water in my yard and as soon as the rain stopped it drained off. I think that one way the officials can help is to get on the ground and assess the situation. Only then they can actually understand the problems and find solutions for them.’
Akash Mukhlall, student, `Some of the drains and canals in the area were not properly cleaned and I think that was what contributed to the flooding. The canals also overflowed into the farms and damaged the crops. The flood is not good for the livestock either because it is killing them out. In my village at Bath some people living in the low area suffered a lot of losses with their cash crops. The ones living in the high section were not affected so much. The regional officials should look into this issue because it is not nice for the farmers; they invest so much money in their crops and when they finished they can’t make any money out of it.’
Rita Sakichand, eschallot farmer, `The flood damaged my three big banks of eschallot. Some of them melt down. Even after the water receded the land was left too soggy and I couldn’t save the eschallot. That is the only crop I am planting. My husband works at the estate but because of the rain he cannot get to do any work in the canefield and he is not earning. A lot of other residents lost their crops as well. I don’t have any problem in my area with the street but the officers should come and visit the area and ensure the drainage systems are properly cleared.’
Lance Lansdale, minibus conductor, `I suffered a lot from the flooding in my area at Canje. I rear livestock and I plant a little kitchen garden in my spare time. I lost some of my sheep, goats, fowls and ducks and greens from my garden. The water remained in my yard for one and half week. It would just go down for a little and raise again but now it is gone. I just hope that the place don’t flood again when we get more downpours. I am glad that the region has installed the pumps to drain the water but they should not wait until it reached this stage to start pumping. I heard that the rain would fall for about three months so the regional officials should put things in place to prevent flooding to this extent. They also need to check the areas themselves because those in charge of the villages do not take in accurate reports. They make it appear as though everything is okay and that there are no problems but as soon as it rains then you know that they hadn’t done their work properly.’
Trevor Mc Donald, self-employed, `I am a clothing and peanut vendor from Belladrum and I also rear poultry. I lost 17 fowls and some of the clothing that I sell was damaged as well as $12,000 worth of peanuts. I had them in a storeroom and the floodwater got in and soaked everything. Only a few days ago the water started to pull off from the land. The pump at the Profitt sluice was working night and day to get the water out. The situation does not have to reach to this extent to cause losses and damage if better systems are put in place and if the drains are maintained. The drainage system is kind of slow. For a long time they [government] has been clearing the mouth of the Abary River and when that is finished it would help a lot. Some rice farmers are also suffering losses because duckweed is getting into their fields.’
Ramjeet Rajpaul, farmer, `The flood has really affected me and a lot of other farmers at Armadale [West Berbice]. I lost 2,000 roots of tomato trees and about 3,000 roots of pepper, all at bearing stage. The water already gone but I could not save anything. I have to start planting all over again but the problem is to get the finance. It’s a lot of money I lost there. The cost for the drugs alone to treat the tomatoes is $45,000 plus I had to find money to plough the land and for labour. I also paid $20,000 for the tomato plants. So far nobody from the region came to assess our losses. Where we are living all the water coming in from the backlands and can’t pass because the kokers blocked. They are cleaning it now though. The authorities are at fault because they wait until the flood comes before they start pumping the water. They should have been on the alert and operated the pump since the rain started but they wait until everybody crops damage up.’
Glory Singh, vendor, `The water was very high in my yard and even got into my kitchen. I had to lift up my fridge and my gas stove to prevent them from spoiling. I had some ducks and 10 of them died. My street is in a terrible condition and I fed up going in to the village office to complain. At one time they gave me some bricks to fill up the holes but I am not getting a helping hand from the other people in the street. Every day I have to come out of the street on my donkey-cart to sell at the school. Also at the head of the street a resident made a bridge and installed a fine tube. That is preventing the water from draining fast and contributing to the flooding. I also made several complaints but so far nobody is going there to check it. I want the region people to come and see what is going on.’
Merl Reberio, vendor,`I am living in the Adventure area and the street there is very bad. The previous regional chairman promised to do it but it was never done. I understand they were supposed to dig the trench and throw up the dirt… Then the cows would come into the area and make it more difficult to get in and out. They would also graze on the sea-dam and damage that and the mangrove as well. Government was supposed to provide pastures for the animals. We need the new regional chairman to address these concerns. The water from the dam would run into our yards and cause flooding. We don’t have proper drainage and we need the regional officials to fix that.’
Richelle George, vendor,`My area at Limlair had flooding and many people lost their crops and poultry. We had boulanger, tomatoes and watermelon and everything flood out. My other concern is that right now the streets are breaking up. They were repaired only last year but the work was not done up to standard. The officials should also try to get rid of the cattle on the road; sometimes they would get into the gardens and destroy them. Then when we complain to the owners we don’t give any satisfaction. I sell at the Port Mourant market and sometimes my pepper and other produce like tomatoes and limes don’t sell. We would have to throw them away. I think government needs to open up a mill [cottage industry] to grind them and bottle them. It doesn’t make sense for us to plant them and they would not sell. If you look on the shelves you would see bottled pepper coming from Trinidad and other places and we grow it right here. Even the green seasoning could be processed and bottled. Right now eschallot is $60 per pound and that cannot pay.’
Azeez Lachana, vendor `I think the Port Mourant market where I sell is a dry weather market because when it rains all over leaks and we have to set pails to catch the water. The water would also splash in and wet up people’s stalls. We report this to the NDC and a staff asked if our yard don’t have water. Nobody is doing anything about it. An elderly vendor told the staff that we paying to sell here; we not paying to sit in water. Where I live in Free Yard, Port Mourant I got the water till on my second step. We don’t have proper drainage. A drain was made but nobody is there to maintain it. The government paying drainage and irrigation workers; they should go and clean the drains.’