-but Adventure pump station still not in operation 30 months on
Several major sluices along the Corentyne coast are being cleared to expel floodwaters out of Black Bush Polder but a pump station that could have provided relief is still not in operation 30 months after construction began.
Regional Chairman, David Armogan in providing an update on the flooding within the region, yesterday noted that there were floods in various parts of East Berbice/ Corentyne, however, he said that the worst episodes were recorded in Black Bush Polder, moreso the Lesbeholden area.
“As you know Lesbeholden was compounded by the fact that the sluice at Adventure, Corentyne “was silted up because we could not have cleared it until the rain started to fall and secondly there was no pump at Adventure when the rain started to fall so that’s basically two reasons why you had high level of water in the Lesbeholden area.”
An $800m contract was signed more than 30 months ago for the pump station for which construction commenced in late 2022 at the head of Adven-ture Village. The contractor is Anil Sawh of D. Sawh Mechanical Workshop.
Armogan confirmed yesterday that it has not yet come into operation.
Nevertheless, he noted that in order to bring relief to those affected a mobile pump was placed at the location.
Farmers in Black Bush Polder last week had protested in front of the Adventure, Corentyne entrance calling on the government for support.
Basdeo Shri Ram, a farmer of Lesbeholden, who has 50 acres in rice and 4 acres in cash crops, had said, “We sow paddy like a week ago now, the water so high in the canal it is not receding, the cash crop it is on a level where the water passing through and the plants always float out.”
According to Ram, he has about 300 papaya trees and 200 sweet pepper trees that are currently affected. For the pepper alone he estimated his losses to be about $1m.
Ram had also said that while they reported their losses to the local authorities nothing much has been done, “the authority in Black Bush do well know that there is major flooding in the entire polder not only Lesbeholden.”
Another farmer, Tiwari Bisham, who has 14 acres of rice currently, explained that the “twelve-day old rice duck under water.”
He said, “Me pump out water two day and two night and it’s no kind of rain to say big flood, the channel was causing that and me get 1080 root bora that deh under water sap, the water deh pon am, so me rice and me cash crop deh under water, the twelve day rice na show yet.”
Predicted
Armogan yesterday said that the farmers protested as they believed a pump should have been placed at the location prior to the rainy season given that the rainfall was predicted, “and so action should have been taken by the relevant authority which in this case would be the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority), anticipating the high level of rainfall a pump should have been in place in the event that, the sluices can only operate six hours and in the case where the sluice is also blocked up compounded the problem as I said that resulted in the waterlogging at Lesbeholden.”
Presently, he said works have commenced to clear the sluice at Adventure, Corentyne, while a pump was also installed at the location, “so that should be able to ease the situation unless the rain falls excessively again.”
Armogan noted that if the rain falls continuously for a prolonged period then it is always difficult to get the water off the land quickly “so there will be some amount of flooding but with the pump there now and with the outfall being done at the moment we will expect that you will have some relief in the Black Bush Polder.”
Number 43
Meanwhile, according to Armogan at the Number 43 location both pumps are operable and the sluices at that location are being desilted at the moment, “and both pumps are working at 43.”
Additionally, he said that there is another pump at Eversham, Corentyne, which drains Mibicuri which is also operable with an excavator also working at that location to clear the sluice there.
“So hopefully all these interventions that have been taking place right now in the Black Bush Polder area, in the front-lands area and so you will find flooding will ease up substantially even though we have heavy rainfall”, he said.
At Yakusari, he added that one of the issues there is that there is a backflow of water coming from the 51 area “and that is normally the case, and this water normally come through Yakusari and go through 43 but unfortunately with the amount of water coming through there you find that the water is backing up.”
Turning to the residential areas in Black Bush Polder, Armogan said he had visited where there is flooding in certain areas as well and he believes works need to be carried out on the internal drains.
“Because the internal drainage system in the Black Bush Polder area was in very good shape as well the water would have moved out from the residential area… Unfortunately, we have some areas there too, trenches need to be cleaned but the Black Bush NDC working to ensure some of the trenches are cleaned so the water can drain to the main canal which goes out to the 43 area.”
