In response to the impending El Nino drought, a group of concerned citizens in Lethem, Rupununi, has got together to form the “El Nino Committee”.Members of the Committee are: Bryan Allicock, Regional Chairman; Rene Edwards of Conservation International; Roger King of Rupununi Chamber of Commerce; and Clairmont Lye of Beacon Foundation, a release from Lye said.

The committee aims to sensitise residents in the Rupununi to the adverse effects on their lives by the El Nino phenomenon. “Several indicators already point to an extreme situation in coming months. The level of the Rupununi River is over fifteen feet below its normal level for this time of the year, and sandbanks have already started to show in the Takutu River at Lethem at what is traditionally the end of the rainy season. Farmers have also reported that the unusual high temperature is adversely affecting their crops,” Lye said in a release.

He said it is expected that pipe-borne water might reach critical levels in another two or three months. “If this happens, then Lethem will experience a severe water shortage from January to April next year. Through regular bulletins to each household in Lethem and St Ignatius Village, the Committee will advise residents on ways to conserve water. The Committee is also making efforts to source a short-term variety of cassava out of Brazil for farmers to plant without delay in low-lying areas. Relevant Government agencies are being alerted to the situation.”