With a view to ensuring that farmers’ losses are minimized, Government through the agriculture ministry is ensuring that there is dam maintenance and construction, and is deploying pumps and excavators to flood affected areas, GINA has said.
Yesterday, President Donald Ramotar, Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy, National Drain-age and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Chief Executive Officer Lionel Wordsworth and Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary/Agricultural Develop-ment Authority, General Manager Rudolph Gajraj visited several areas in Regions Four and Five where they interacted with farmers and residents.
During the meetings at several points in Flagstaff, Hope, Perth Baiboo (little and big), Cottage and Mahaicony Branch Road several interventions were highlighted and suggestions made.
The press statement from GINA said that since the inception of the abnormal rainy period, additional measures have been undertaken to ensure that cash crops, livestock and rice farmers’ livelihoods are not lost. “This saw technical staff being deployed across the 10 administrative regions to assist in this regard,” the statement said.
The President assured residents and farmers of the administration’s commitment to ensure that their livelihoods are protected. “This will see the continued deployment of equipment by all sub-agencies and the distribution of fuel to farmers to assist in the pumping of water off the land and the desilting of canals,” the statement said.
It said the level of water in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) was yesterday considered “threatening” and the Agriculture Ministry is calling on all relevant authorities to remain vigilant.
GINA said that while there have been no reported breach thus far to the dam of the conservancy, Minister Ramsammy has reported that the height at the EDWC as of last evening was at 58.6 GD. The Maduni sluice is opened at low tide to drain water from the EDWC.
Ramsammy said while water has receded in several areas the situation in the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary areas is more acute.
“Right now our struggle is to save the rice crops and we are working with farmers to do so. Cash crops like in Black Bush and Canal have been lost and we are working now to ensure that animals and rice are protected,” Ramsammy said.
He said government has deployed 12 excavators to the Mahaicony/Mahaica areas to assist in emergency works and that similar interventions are being undertaken throughout the country.
“The farmers have been supportive as much as they can to do their own person pumping. Every pump and sluice is working as per normal and every engineer is out trying to see what they can do to help,” Ramsammy said.
He added that it was anticipated that La Nina will persist into March and as such, will require continued vigilance and support from all stakeholders in this regard “so we have to remain alert because some days we will see that we have four to five inches of rainfall, when our drainage system is built for two inches.”
GINA reported that the ministry is currently sourcing additional resources to support the Water Users Association and the local government authorities in its dam maintenance programme countrywide, since the Hydromet Office has predicted intense rainfall in the coming weeks.
