Two additional pumps are to be placed at Buxton to assist in the drainage of floodwaters from the East Coast villages affected by recent rainfall, even as many remain flooded with residents complaining that their livestock have been falling ill.
This is according to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), which related that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Frederick Flatts said yesterday that the pumps would be relocated from Berbice and another area on the East Coast.
The GINA report stated that those two pumps would supplement the six pumps already in place at Buxton, and that those, along with the pumps located at Lusignan and Annandale, “should assist in alleviating the flooding at Buxton and the surrounding communities.”
Floodwaters in the East Coast villages of Buxton, Felicity and Atlantic Ville have receded by a few inches since Sunday.
At Atlantic Ville and at the Buxton Sideline Dam yesterday, the air was heavy with the pungent scent of water that has laid stagnant for days. While the animals seemed wary of interacting with the muddied water, some residents seemed to have no qualms about walking barefoot.
At the Buxton Sideline Dam, the water had completely receded from the streets but deep pools remained in the yards and in the surrounding fields.
A Sideline Dam resident related to Stabroek News that she had lost livestock to the flood, with six of her 18 goats becoming ill after falling in the water.
She said there had been no heavy rainfall since last Thursday and she suggested that it was the same water from last week’s flood that has remained standing on the land all this time.
Rudolph Archer related that several of his sheep died after falling sick from the floodwater.
For the rest of his goats and sheep, yesterday was the first time they were able to roam outside of the yard to feed on grass. He had been forced to feed the younger sheep using bottles of milk. “I feel that if the pump di wuking this water supposed to draw down already…it ain’t really rain you know, we get slight drizzle but nothing to talk about. I feel that this water come down from the back dam,” Archer stated.
‘Day and night’
In several villages on the East Coast persons were seen cleaning their yards and parapets, applying disinfectant although in some cases water had not yet completely drained off.
A Felicity resident, who asked not to be named, related that the water had begun receding early yesterday. Although she acknowledged that the water had been successively rising and receding, she related that she was taking the opportunity then to clean as the water had begun to smell and mosquitoes had increased in the area.
While the water was ankle height in her yard, she related it was as high as her knees and higher for some of her neighbours. She explained that those on the northern half of Felicity were not as affected as those on the southern side, where the land was lower.
Indeed, only a few houses on the southern half seemed to have escaped the disaster, with the majority being inundated by inches of water. Notably, those houses are backed by farmlands.
Another Felicity resident, whose yard yesterday held as much as six inches of water, told Stabroek News that yesterday was the first time the water had started receding since last week. She, too, complained about the odour.
But even with persons taking up the initiative to clean, it was at the risk of water rising again and reversing those efforts.
Mohammed Kazim told Stabroek News that whenever authorities make attempts to pump the water out, the floodwaters in the yards rise again.
Nevertheless, he and his wife take time to clean their yard whenever the water falls to reduce the cumulative buildup of material in the compound. “Because if you lef this like this now… when the water gone it gon lef thick, thick mud like this. You understand? ‘Cause this is not pipe water deh here really. This come from all over, people toilet all kinda thing ah overflow, all kinda thing ah flush ah come down… you can’t get the water stagnant,” Kazim explained.
The flood resulted in about six inches of water entering the bottom flat of his home. Kazim has since lost 12 of his 26 fowls to the floodwaters and one of his eight rabbits has fallen ill.
He is one of many residents on the East Coast whose pit latrine was flooded for some time.
“All meh furniture and so wah I get there, meh got to raise them up. Day and night meh goh bail water inside ah deh. See meh put sandbag in front a deh?” Kazim said.
At Atlantic Ville, just one street remained inundated yesterday and a resident, Jamal, said the water had started draining on Sunday.
On Sunday, canals on the East Coast were filled to the brim and in some cases overflowing into the yards of residents. Those who reside in proximity to the canals were the ones who were heavily affected.
