Over 50 farms owned by residents of the indigenous community of Masakenari are currently under water as a result of consistent rainfall leaving affected families with limited food supplies.
Masakenari, which is populated mainly by the Wai-Wai tribe, is Guyana’s southernmost Indigenous village located in Region Nine next to the Brazilian border.
In a video posted on Facebook, Toshao Paul Chekema stated that residents are very worried after the Essequibo River overtopped its banks for the first time since the rainy season began, leaving more than 50 farms under water. The video also showed cassava being salvaged by residents after the rains ceased while the toshao pondered who was going to assist the households that were affected.
Stabroek News learned that at least 56 households in the community are currently in need of food supplies.
Regional Executive Officer of Region Nine, Carl Parker said he has notified the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) about the situation and they promised to donate food supplies after Chekema informed him via WhatsApp that the village was being affected by flooding. He noted that the CDC is expected to respond today.
According to Parker, the river started overflowing over the past weekend and since then it has been raining consistently, raising the level of the water. When this happened, he said, Chekema told him that persons rushed to reap their cassava, which is used for making farine and cassava bread.
However, most of the cassava roots were not ready for reaping. This left families wondering how they are going to survive without farine or cassava bread, which is their main staple.
Parker added that as of yesterday, it was raining heavily. “It’s the beginning of the rainy season for us in the Rupununi, the beginning of the floods, and weather reports are saying that we will have above normal rainfall,” he further stated.
He also said that the village is not affected considering that it is located on higher land. “The farmlands are located on low-lying areas where the soil is better for farming and that is how the water came and swallowed it,” he added.
