Dear Editor,
AS A resident of Region Five and one of its APNU+AFC councillors, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my views on the recent flooding that occurred in the villages from Golden Grove to Number 30.As a regional representative of the people, I would like to offer my apologies for the recent flooding, and wish to assure everyone that all of the APNU+AFC RDC Councillors will continue to represent you to the best of our ability.
I know that many have suffered economically during the floods, losing their livestock, cash crops, etc; but quick and speedy action from the RDC, Central Government and the Ministry of Agriculture saw the water receding, and the lives of the residents will again soon become normal.
I would also like to state that this is not the first time the area has accumulated water above land level. We all know that those areas are prone to flooding because they are very low. Some residents have even built their houses without first filling the land, and when the rain falls heavily, it leaves their yards flooded.
But, over the past years, we have seen that whenever the rain falls heavily and the areas flood, the water recedes quickly because of the presence of a proper drainage system and cleaning of inter-locked drains within the villages.
This time, however, it has not been like that, and those who ought to be blamed must be blamed without any form of feeling sorry for them. It must be known that MMA\ADA is responsible for the outfall channels\koker\sluices and drainage canals in Region Five. MMA\ADA is responsible for serving people living from Mahaica to Ithaca, but this does not seem to the case. Over the past years, MMA\ADA has been focusing much on the area that stretches from Abary to Mahaica, and leaving the other areas in Region 5 alone.
MMA\ADA must be blamed for the flooding in these villages, because since this APNU+AFC government took office, the management of MMA has become lackadaisical in carrying out the works that it is mandated to do.
On several occasions, I personally called the General Manager of MMA\ADA about drainage situation in Region 5, and have been told a story of jim cock mek ram goat. And because of that, the people suffer.
On many occasions, I spoke to the GM about dams and canals for rice farmers, and also about clearing of outlets from various villages, and was promise that something will be done. But it was never done.
The machines of MMA\ADA are always at the workshop, or they are far in the back dams. I have personally spoken to the GM on several occasions over the past months about the drains that need to be clean because the rains will be coming, but he turned a deaf ear to my entreaties. When I contacted the others, they say that the decision is not in their hands, but with those in higher authority.
I can recall that on April 30th, 2016 I was asked to visit the Trafalgar Sluice, and upon my visit I saw MMA workers trying very hard to get the pontoon into the water, so that they can take the excavators on it to dredge the said outfall, because it needs to be dug so that the water can be thrown easily into the sea. (I have pictures to prove). But it seems that nothing was done since.
I keep calling MMA, asking about the position but always having an answer in favour of hearing. Under the years of the PPP, millions were used to do drainage works by MMA, but nothing was done properly. Millions were spent to build a bridge and sluice\koker at the Number 12 outfall, but it’s almost five years and the doors have never opened, and I was made to understand that there are full-time operators there.
Millions were spent on various projects under the PPP, and those projects hardly worked. This Government needs to restructure the entire management of MMA. Too much nonsense is taking place there.
Mr. Editor, imagine there is climate change and the mangroves are being taken away over the years. Over the years, the sea defences have been breaking and water has been coming closer to the residents, but MMA seems not to care to make new kokers, because the old ones are left where they are — miles in the sea, because of the sea defence erosion. As a matter of fact, they never rebuilt a koker in those areas, and I don’t think any other area had a koker built, to my knowledge. Those village kokers would have helped tremendously to ease or stop the flooding, but MMA didn’t care during the PPP time, and it seems they don’t care now either.
Everything that the PPP handled was political, even the Enhancement workers that the so-called ‘champion of the earth’ invented to have votes. Those are the workers that should be cleaning village drains so that they cannot be silted up. Under former President Jagdeo they were employed by MMA and the D&I, then Irfaan Ali saw something in it, so they were transferred to the Housing Ministry.
They employed a man (who is now at MMA) to run the work throughout the region, while each NDC has a supervisor to supervise the workers.
I will give an example of those workers who work under the Bath\Woodley Park NDC (anyway, it’s a PPP NDC and the area where I live). Since this APNU+AFC government took office, they hardly work for the required four hours per day, and do about thirty minutes works when they do work. I can recall when the West Berbice Expo was on at the Bath Community Centre Ground, the NDC had to ensure that the area was clean, especially the drains and the entrance, but it was not so. I approached the DREO, who is responsible for Local Government, when I heard that the said NDC overseer told the workers they were not to do any work in that area because the Hon. Prime Minister will be coming.
I recall sitting in the DREO’s office and he will make tens of calls to the said NDC overseer, and she would disregard the man’s orders. I can also recall that the man supervising the workers, a pensioner from the PPP village group, told the DREO that they had finished work for the day. The workers will turn out for work at about 7am and finish working at about 7:30-8am; that’s not four hours.
Anyway, the call was made around 9:15 that morning, and they finished work.
The Ministry of Communities, which I think is still responsible for those workers, must address this issue urgently. No work should equate to no pay. They should know that this work is not PPP work, it’s the Government’s work. Those are the people that are also contributing to flooding in our communities by not doing their work although they have been provided with equipment\tools.
So, overall, the management of MMA should take full responsibility for the flooding in the area from Golden Grove to Number 30, which is severely hit. Because of their carefree style, we are faced will flooding, and people have had to suffer damage to their livelihoods.
I call on the authorities not to allow this experience to go so easy; correct it now, or else the management of MMA will become more complacent and carefree in the years to come.
I must thank the residents for their cooperation, and also call on them — although the protest was peaceful — to made contact with the relevant authorities and voice their concerns before taking to the streets or roadways to protest.
ABEL SEETARAM
APNU+AFC Regional Councillor
Region 5
