Lowlands on the East Coast of Demerara is getting relief from flooding after the Ministry of Agriculture deployed an excavator to the area on Saturday.
A release from the Ministry yesterday said that homes, yards and access roads were inundated due to recent heavy rainfall. According to the release, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha paid a visit to the community last Wednesday and, upon being informed that it was experiencing flooding, immediately ordered the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to commence excavation of a number of drains and canals.
Once completed, hundreds of villagers stand to benefit from the approximately 2770 rods of drainage channels that will be cleared.
The press release quoted one resident, Lorence Chester, 88, who felt happy with the works being done, and the timeliness of the response. “I paid nearly $1M to build up here. This was a trench. The other day when rain fall, look the things pack up in my house. Three feet water, if you go behind my fence you will see the mark…”.
Another resident, Chumandat Persaud, a mason who has been residing in the area for 12 years, said that the water in the drains is already receding. During the meeting, residents raised a number of issues with the Minister and his team, which included the need for works to be done on a number drains and canals, rehabilitations works to the main roads and land allocations, as many persons are currently squatting.
