NDIA deploys excavator to help drain Black Bush Polder
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, and team at Yakasari Black Bush Polder on Friday afternoon
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, and team at Yakasari Black Bush Polder on Friday afternoon

…water receding, affected farmers call for assistance

MINISTER of Agriculture, Noel Holder, and team who visited the flood-affected areas of Black Bush Polder, confirmed that the flood waters have receded and that systems are in place to drain further, the areas that have been under water for over two weeks.
Speaking with the media, Minister Holder, whose ministry oversees the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), stated that the primary drains and canals are the responsibility of the NDIA while the secondary or residential drains are the responsibility of the region, yet the NDIA is being blamed for the flooding. “Cabinet last year had a sub-committee from the Ministry of Agriculture look at the entire drainage system [and agreed] that all the primary drains should be done by the NDIA. The secondary drainage should be residential and so on should be done by the region. What this means is that the funds awarded to the region for these drains should be warranted to the NDIA that has not happened. The region which first agreed to do so, has reneged on that, so the RDC in Region Six has not given one cent to the NDIA but yet would like to blame them for what is happening.”

He continued: “If the NDIA comes in and does the region’s work, what will happen and who will account for the money that central government has given to the region for the same job? Two persons cannot be paid for one job.”

Holder noted that the water has receded by over one foot and measures are in place for the operation of the sluices as well as pumps. He further noted that the main outfalls have been cleaned and both the Number 43 and Eversham pumps are operable. Further, the Guyana Chronicle was informed that an excavator is on its way with a pontoon to clean the mouth of the outfall at Number 43 which usually drains the Yakasari and Johana areas. At present there are two pumps operating at the Number 43 area, the main pump with a 200 cubic feet per second (CuSec) discharge capacity, while a secondary one with 80 CuSec capacity was recently added to help drain the water quickly.

Meanwhile, residents expressed concerns over the flooding which occurred despite only minimal rainfall. They are contending that had the canals been cleaned, the flooding would not have occurred to such magnitude. The issue however, regarding who has responsibility for the cleaning of the canal, has been back and forth between the Region Six Administration and NDIA. However, in the interest of the residents, NDIA has taken the responsibility to oversee the operations temporarily.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the cleaning of the canal, which has heavy vegetation, was awarded to a contractor for manual clearing. However, due to the density of the vegetation the contractor was simply cutting the weeds and leaving them to float in the canal. The weeds would then float to the Number 43 pump area and as a result, damaged the thrash rack of the pump as well as blocked the flow of the water.

Without the thrash rack, the pump remained inoperable and had to be fixed. NDIA has since sent a request to the region to have the contractor removed from the cleaning exercise and sent a contractor of their own to do mechanical cleaning with an excavator to remove the vegetation from the canal. This has led to immediate relief and the water has started to recede almost immediately. Residents however are seeking compensation for the damage to their cash crops as many have claimed to have lost their entire crops. Sunil Deonarine, who lost over 2.5 acres of Ochro, Pepper, Squash and Boulanger, has estimated his losses in the hundreds of thousands and is calling for some form of support to help get his farm back up again.

Meanwhile, Devanand Dasarut, a father of six and a cash crop farmer who lost his entire crop just before the harvest, is asking for some assistance in getting food stuff for his family until he can be back on his feet. Black Black Bush Polder, which is made up of four Polders: Yakasauri, Johanna, Mibicuri and Lesbeholden, was inundated approximately two weeks ago following heavy rainfalls. While the water receded in three polders, it remained on land in the Yakusari Polder causing damage to mainly cash crops and kitchen gardens.

Pic save as polder
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, and team at Yakasari Black Bush Polder on Friday afternoon

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.