Residents living in the Upper and Lower Pomeroon River areas in Region Two are losing hope after their farmlands were once again inundated with floodwater.
Residents in Jacklow, Abrams Creek, Dredge Creek and St Monica have been affected by the flooding, which has been caused by continuous rainfall over the past week.
According to Jacklow cash crop farmer Krister Gildharie, his farmlands are under two feet of water. “We are trying to survive from the recent flooding and now again the water has come in on us and all our money we invested [has] gone wasted,” said Gildharie, who noted that he had young pea plants that have been submerged.
Nalini Persaud, a Grant Buxton, Charity, Lower Pomeroon River resident, said that she woke up to several feet of water in her yard and her farmlands last Tuesday morning.
Persaud, who was forced to move her household items to higher ground in order to save them, said that the livelihoods of many persons have been affected due to the continuous rainfall in the largely agriculture-dependent communities.
Major flooding last year also hit farmers hard and many have still been trying to recover. Most of them had received cash relief from the Ministry of Agriculture and had re-invested it into their farms.
Meanwhile Region Two Vice Chairman Humace Oodit said all the pumps in the region were in operation. Pumps were in operation at Charity, Lima, Three Friends, Anna Regina, Lima, La Union, Hampton Court, Devonshire and Andrews.
The only sluice that was out of operation is the one at Capoey. At Andrews sluice, a machine is currently onsite removing the stop logs to ensure the flow of water.
The region is still awaiting a new steel door for the sluice after the original structure collapsed recently.
The region like others on the coast has experienced tremendous rainfall since Tuesday last.
Oodit also said reports have been submitted to the Regional Democratic Council from the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils every four hours. Rangers, overseers and pump attendants continue to monitor the current situation. The region has a team also that is also conducting an assessment at various flood-affected communities on the coastland and in the Pomeroon River.
