With floodwaters slowly receding off lands on the Essequibo Coast, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt is calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to intervene and bring relief to affected persons.
Sections of communities and farmlands in some Essequibo Coast areas were flooded on Thursday after a period of heavy rainfall in the region. Stabroek News had reported that the situation was exacerbated as the regional administration failed to deliver fuel to pump stations. Ramdatt had also blamed some of the flooding on the failure to implement measures that could have alleviated the situation.
Yesterday, Ramdatt told Stabroek News that a majority of lands that were flooded remain inundated. “While the rains have eased, several areas remain inundated and this situation can become more challenging; creating further negative impacts for our residents and farmers should the rains continue,” Ramdatt said, while indicating that the Regional Democratic Council is requesting a careful assessment by the relevant ministries and agencies.
Presently, several acres of rice fields are under water while there is stagnant water in yards and community drains, Ramdatt said.
The regional chairman reiterated that the delay in installing an alternative drainage pump at Devonshire Castle has contributed to the high levels of water within the environs of the community.
“I made a recommendation about four months ago to the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) board but they failed to act. I told them that we need a temporary pump at Devonshire Castle but they failed to install it. The pump needed to be installed by the last week in November because they know December/January is the rainy period. We need an alternative system in place given that the drains are blocked to allow the construction of the pump station,” Ramdatt told Stabroek News last week.
Since the heavy and persistent rainfall between Wednesday and Thursday last week, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has been on high alert and is monitoring the situation. CDC reps on Saturday distributed hygiene and sanitation hampers to residents of Supenaam, Goed Hope, Makeshift, Aurora, Queenstown, Taymouth Manor, Lima and Anna Regina.
