Residents and farmers at Ann’s Grove village, on the East Coast of Demerara, are calling for better drainage, which they say is currently being neglected by their neighbourhood council.
The Ann’s Grove/Two Friends Farmers Group recently wrote a letter to this newspaper voicing their concerns about the way the cleaning is carried out in the community. The letter stated that between May and December, 2018, the drains and trenches were not cleaned even though payments were made to a contractor.
Stabroek News subsequently visited Ann’s Grove and spoke with villagers about the issues brought up in the letter.
During the visit, a trench was being cleared by workers who were contracted by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). The workers said they had commenced cleaning in the community about three weeks ago.
One resident stated that the current state of the drains within the community is horrible and that they are clogged due to the non-functioning kokers.
“…The trench deh cleaning but we still getting problems with the water. The water ain’t pulling. We got two kokers and none ain’t working for how much years. This cleaning of this trench is just a part, the main thing what got to be done is them kokers got to fix. We can’t go to the backdam and plant. Rain ain’t falling and people yard flooding,” said a resident, who identified himself as Lesley.
He added that maintenance is also an issue as the two kokers were built some years ago but they were never operational.
Another resident, who gave his name as Edmond Fraser, stated that he felt as though the community has been abandoned by the Chief Executive Officer for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and their NDC.
Lesley later added that while contracts were previously awarded to a contractor, no drainage works were done. “She used to collect the money and never clean the trenches,” he said.
According to Lesley, contracts were awarded to the contractor for cleaning and drainage works for the entire community but they were later withdrawn and she was then given another contract for drainage works in the residential part of the community.
“Right now, you know how much farmlands flood deh? You can’t plant nothing! On one of the high beds, right, sometime a man plant ochro, bora, you plant fruit tree, all dead. Deh like forest at the back there. De youth willing to go back there because when they come out from the interior, they have nothing to do…,” Lesley added.
One resident, who asked not to be named, stated that many reports about the situation in the community were made to the NDC and even the Ministry of Agriculture but nothing has been done.
Fraser added that one of the drains that leads to one of the kokers in the village is in desperate need of desilting. “No matter how much they clean it, it got to desilt ’cause nothing wouldn’t flow even if it clean. This is not for the NDC, this is central government ’cause the NDC nah get money to do this. You can’t see them [officials from the Ministry of Agriculture], they always busy”
Efforts were made to contact the Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Fredrick Flatts but these were unsuccessful.
