-residents cite negligence of koker attendant

WHILE the rains have eased over coastal Guyana in recent days, the East Coast Demarara community of Buxton was inundated on Saturday and residents have laid blame on the lax operation of a koker at the Crown Dam aback the community.

While water has drained off from surrounding communities, the unique basin-like situation in which Buxton is positioned has resulted in water accumulating in the area over the past week. This publication visited Buxton on Saturday and residents reported that their yards have been flooded over the past several days; most of the flooded yards were located south of the Railway Line Embankment along Company Road, Middle Walk and Clyde Roopchand Road.

Along Company Road, persons were mopping their homes while others washed carpets and sofas at the higher parts of their yards. A man drained water from a hose connected to the water network into a five-gallon container, while a woman and her daughter pointed to the high level of the water in their yard.
Most persons reported that the water was receding slowly on Saturday. A resident reported that twice since the week leading up to Christmas, the area was flooded out, noting that last week the waters seemed unusually high.

“Rain didn’t really falling so much, but this water coming down from the sideline dam,” he said. The man noted that the water in the area is drained –off by several pumps at the seawall area at Buxton/Friendship, another outlet at the village at Strathspey and also at Lusignan. It was noted that depending on the tide, the kokers at those locations can be opened only at certain times.

According to residents, on Old Year’s Night many yards were flooded and the water receded slowly the following morning. However, as the days progressed, the rains persisted and the level rose and accumulated in several yards. Buxton residents expected the waters would have receded by Saturday.

 

Over at the Buxton Sideline Dam, a koker which was expected to drain water out of the area was itself covered by water as a family nearby washed their clothing at a high spot in the yard.

According to a cane-cutter nearby, the area is usually plagued by flooding after water accumulates in the highlands aback the community and would usually flood the area. However, he said that the accumulation appeared strange.

“Is only last night we told them [the authorities] and somebody said only then they realise the door at the Crown Dam was open all the time,” he said. He explained that the water which accumulates near the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) would flow down to the lower grounds at Buxton, but the flow of water is usually controlled by a koker at the Crown Dam.

Reports are that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco) once controlled the koker at the Crown Dam; however, it is now under the control of the regional authorities and a ranger overlooks its operation. Residents were told that the ranger who is responsible for manning the koker was negligent in his duties.

“They need to change that person,” a Middle Walk resident said. According to the man, the situation is difficult to cope with, noting that many persons have had no choice but to walk through the knee-high waters.

When this publication visited the seawall area at Buxton/Friendship, the engines of three pumps were running and draining water out of canals into a reservoir. The dam at the periphery of the reservoir was being

raised by an excavator as persons there feared the water level would have risen beyond the sides of the water containment area.

“They need to study this area over,” a vendor at Company Road told this publication.

The Weather Watch Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture last week predicted continuous rain for several days as an upper- level trough and the sub-tropical jet affect Guyana.

Weather conditions were likely to deteriorate as the jet entrance migrates over Guyana from time to time. A special bulletin from the ministry noted that as the Hydrometeorological Service has been forecasting for several days after Christmas Day, all regions were likely to experience cloudy to overcast skies.