Besides interrupting residents’ lives, flooding caused by torrential rainfall in Region Ten is affecting the region’s agricultural sector with many reporting loss of crops and poultry, Chairman Deron Adams has said.
Several parts of the country are currently experiencing record amounts of rainfall. The situation has resulted in the Regional Democratic Council reaching out to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) for assistance.
A statement by the CDC on Tuesday said that an assessment team was dispatched to the impacted areas during the past week and after comprehensive assessments, hampers were distributed to a number of affected households in several communities.
“CDC received reports that Kara Kara, Blueberry Hill, Block 42, Siberian Village and Ladernsville all experienced flooding as a result of heavy and consistent rainfall, and overflowing of nearby creeks and rivers. Approximately 100 households and farmlands of Kara Kara were impacted, including latrines. In Blueberry Hill and Block 42 numerous households were affected, and residents have indicated that there were improper channels for the floodwaters to recede in a timely manner. At least 20 households were impacted in Siberian Village, but residents and members of the Community Development Council cleaned the clogged drains in the area allowing the water to recede quickly. In Ladernsville, 10 households were affected and residents there indicated that there are insufficient drains to facilitate” receding of water, the statement said.
Adams yesterday said that many lives have been interrupted as a result of the flooding and one of the major issues would be the damage done to the agriculture sector. He said many persons in the affected areas sustain themselves by farming and rearing poultry and domesticated animals. He noted that the rain has been more intense than usual and they have received numerous reports of farms under water and animals dying.
“All crops have been damaged and persons who are rear animals said that a lot of animals have died as well,” he said.
He disclosed that the latest report he received yesterday was that the water is beginning to recede in some of the communities close to the waterfront and the extent of the damage done is yet unknown as assessments are still ongoing.
He revealed that in Kwakwani, floodwater rose six to eight feet but as of yesterday it had receded to three and four feet. The situation in Ladernsville is still quite the same with almost the entire area under water. Like Kwakwani, he said, the area is close to a river front. He said that Rockstone is the latest community to report some level of flooding but an assessment is yet to be done in the area.
Given the dire situation, Adams said he hopes that the Government will intervene and provide assistance to residents who have lost the majority of their crops and animals.
Adams said that the flooding is a result of torrential rains noting that they have entered the May/June wet season so they fear flooding in these areas is just beginning. With the rain continuing, he added, rivers and creeks are likely to overtop their banks.
Meanwhile, Adams said that the situation in Kara Kara will be strictly monitored as the people living in the area still depend on pit latrines. “This can cause a major health crisis so this is one of our biggest concerns,” he said.
Meanwhile, the CDC said that they have distributed hampers to seventy households in Block 42, 12 in Rainbow City, 13 in West Watooka, 67 in First to Third Alley and 26 in Siberian Village. Some 188 hampers were distributed in this area. In Kwakwani, 30 households received hampers, 22 in Kara Kara, 30 in Ladernsville and 100 in Karara.
“The CDC is continuously monitoring the situation in Region 10 and are working in tandem with the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), RDC and the Community Development Council to receive timely updates. Residents in Region 10 and other Regions across Guyana are encouraged to take all necessary steps to ensure that they are prepared for consistent rainfall and possible flooding,” the statement added.
