A temporary sluice door has been installed at Grove and Diamond, East Bank Demerara to prevent more flooding from occurring during the current spring tide.
Planks for the temporary sluice door were driven into the back and front of the koker with the expectation of keeping residents secure from other high tides.
A completely new door is expected to be in place within a matter of days as regional authorities are currently accelerating the procurement process as the situation has been designated an emergency.
Strong currents from the Demerara River ripped apart the permanent sluice door on Wednesday afternoon and resulted in widespread inundation with many of the residents recounting that they were caught off guard by the flash flooding.
Nonetheless, they were satisfied with the swift response from the authorities.
At the peak of the high tide yesterday afternoon, water levels in the Demerara River reached the brim of the sluice.
Residents told Stabroek News that they were still counting their losses as of yesterday. Some residents said they were forced to elevate their appliances in a bid to save them, while others lamented that they were not so lucky.
Residents recalled too, that this was a first-time experience for them as they have never encountered this situation before.
One resident recounted that within minutes the water from the river had flowed over from their drainage trenches and into their yards.
According to the residents, they spent most of their time removing mud from their yards and washing out to eliminate the stench of the murky river water. Some of them, however, had to begin cleaning after they returned from work last evening.
A woman told Stabroek News that she was unable to benefit from hygiene packages distributed by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).
Yesterday, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat paid a visit to the community to check on the damages caused by the flood.
He told Stabroek News, while the flooding is not an issue that concerns his ministry, he felt compelled to visit since the people are a part of his constituency.
“I once served as the NDC Chairman and I live in the area. I had to pay them a visit to see what was happening and how I could have helped,” Bharrat said.
He said that during his visit he learnt that the water supply to the community was disrupted and through his office he contacted the Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, and a team was dispatched to rectify the issue.
Bharrat also noted that an assessment was done by the Civil Defence Commission and the agency plans to return with relief packages to hand out to affected families.
Suraj Satoon, a sluice operator, told this newspaper that it was around 5.00pm on Wednesday that he discovered the sluice door being battered by the force of the tide.
He noted that this is the first time in 22 years the river has broken away the sluice door. He noted too that in the past years, remedial works were carried out on the door but it was never fully replaced.
According to Satoon, it was he who immediately contacted the regional as well as National Drainage and Irrigation Authority for intervention.
Bharrat Harrinarine, a maintenance worker, said that the last time maintenance work was done on the sluice was a month ago. However, he noted that that the sluice door was defective adding that the sluice attendants said that they had made reports to the relevant authorities but nothing was done.
The construction on the sluice was said to have begun in 2014 and completed in 2015. According to Harrinarine, the foundation of the koker was not done properly. “This whole underneath this koker did blow away and when they build it back, we tell them this door got to change but they just wash and tar and leave it like that. The structure underneath at first, the contractor, a man name McKenzie put sand and just paal it off. The salt water start rotten out the wood and the whole thing rotten out. Underneath this koker structure had twelve feet when we go down to check it. Then a new contractor come and they full up at the bottom with brick…. This was like three years ago,” Harrinarine disclosed.
