Floodwater in a string of villages along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) has been slowly receding and residents believes this is as a result of a cessation of rainfall on Saturday night into Sunday rather than any step taken by the government.
Persistent rainfall over the last few days and the springtide led to floods in the easternmost part of Georgetown and some low-lying villages along the coast.
While some residents are trying to cope with the flooding, for others it has been devastating due to the disruption of their daily lives.
Stabroek News travelled to Buxton yesterday, one of the communities that has been hit the worst. It was observed that while the water has drained off from some sections of the sideline road; yards were still flooded.
To residents it seemed as if there was no relief since they had to venture into thigh-high water to access their taps or to get into and out of their homes.
Some residents reported that they have suffered losses to livestock due to the stagnant water in their yards while others said that their animals have not returned home since the flooding.
As Stabroek News travelled through villages on the East Coast Cows, pigs, sheep and goats could be seen wandering along the Railway Embankment Road. Farmers said they had to take precautions and build coops for their poultry above water level.
In Buxton, it was also observed that the trench along the sideline that was filled with vegetation was being cleared.
A resident, Malika Dundas explained to this newspaper that she noticed the water level dropping yesterday morning. “You can see pieces of this section of the road now but yesterday (Saturday) everything was water… this is how we can say the water is moving,” she said.
Dundas added that while the southern section of Buxton is referred to as the basin in the community, residents needs help to ensure they don’t become sick. On this note she called for the relevant authorities to distribute sanitation packages to residents.
Another resident, Herbert Roseman, a pensioner highlighted his plight to this newspaper, stating that he lost his garden that was being cultivated with pumpkins, calaloo and bora along with several head of livestock.
Roseman said that he is concerned over the health of the children and adults residing in that section of the community and also echoed Dundas’s call for assistance or sanitation packages.
The elderly resident also called on the Ministry of Agriculture to offer assistance to farmers who would have lost crops and livestock. “It is not easy to have to go and buy back livestock to start back from fresh…” he opined.
“We are accustom to this flooding but if the water stays longer it would only get worse… it is already beginning to smell,” said Sharon Anderson, another resident of Buxton who is affected. She expressed concerns over contamination and spread of diseases if the dirty water remains on the land. She added that they would need assistance at the end of the flood to clean and disinfect their living quarters. She like other residents wishes if there could be another pump deployed to the area to bring faster relief to the community.
And although the water seemed to have been draining off, the canal along the Sideline Dam was yesterday overflowing at some parts.
Other canals on the East Coast were filled to the brim and in some cases overflowing into the yards of residents. Those who resided in close proximity to the canals were the ones who were heavily affected.
Communities such as La Bonne Intention (LBI), Cummings Lodge, Industry, Felicity, Ogle, Vryheid’s Lust, Good Hope, Lusignan and Mon Repos also remained under water and based on residents’ feedback several inches of water had already drained off.
According to Safraz Subhan, a resident of LBI, his family had to take precautionary measures to prevent water from entering their bottom flat. However, that did not work even though they installed a second row of blocks to keep the water out.
Subhan said the water levels rose between Thursday and Friday and sandbags placed in his yard were covered. He noted that yesterday was the first time since the water levels dropped. Like many others they had to move their furniture and appliances to higher grounds. He noted that they lost 50 birds as a result of the intense flooding over the past few days.
Residents in the community said that no official from the government paid them any visit to assess the damage they suffered and to offer solutions.
Residents of Atlantic Ville, which is heavily flooded, also echoed similar sentiments while noting that several government officials live in the said community. When Stabroek News visited this community, residents were complaining of a rise in water levels after it had dropped earlier in the day. At the time of the visit the water level was just below the knee.
Patricia (only name given) complained bitterly that while the water level had dropped and she managed to do some cleaning, the water began to rise resulting in her hard work going in vain. She explained that water seeped into the bottom flat of her home and she had to move around all her appliances and furniture.
“Everyone who lives in a bottom flat is affected…we cannot stay in our homes because the water is too much and no minister didn’t come here to see what is happening,” a frustrated Patricia said.
Another Atlantic Ville resident, Desiree Miller also complained of the situation they have been enduring over the past few days.
Miller stressed that the Mayor and City Council has to take some of the blame for their situation since they are the ones with responsibility for the community. She stated that residents would pay to have their drains cleaned but the major drains are clogged up with vegetation.
Further, she noted that a few months ago they were flooded and no one offered any assistance to the residents. “The situation became so terrible that some of us had to go away and come back after the flood,” said Miller.
Meanwhile, a resident of Ogle who asked not to be named said that the government needs to formulate a better plan of action to address flooding. He pointed out that times have changed and “we are dealing with climate change. We can no longer predict on what is going to happen so we need to keep drains and canals cleared to have efficient drainage.”
The resident opined that a maintenance programme should be introduced to ensure that all drains and canals are kept clean and clear.
Questioned about the Ogle pump which wasn’t working, the resident said to his knowledge it had been down for approximately a week but believes that the authorities only became aware that it was not functioning after the water levels began to rise. The pump is operated by GuySuCo.
Minister of Public Infra-structure David Patterson after a visit to Buxton and the Ogle Pump station on Saturday in the company of Agriculture Minister Noel Holder moved a pump located at Strathspey, ECD, which is not being used, to Ogle to replace the one there which is not operational. The Ogle pump had suffered a broken crankshaft.
