According to Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud an average of five inches of rainfall has been recorded in some areas along the coastland and all drainage and irrigation (D&I) structures have been cranked into gear to get the excess water off the land.

Accompanying Acting President Samuel Hinds and top City Hall officials including Mayor Hamilton Green on an inspection tour of key D&I check points in the city, Persaud said a break in the intense rain at midnight yesterday as predicted by the Hydromet Officer along with the drop in tide will give way for the accumulated water to recede.

The minister appealed to all local government bodies to be on constant alert since he is aware of reports that a few sluices in and outside of the city were not opened on time.

He said many koker attendants work within the local government ministry arrangements and is hoping that the regional officials take the necessary action to stop the wanton practice.

Persaud made it clear that the 2009 mid-year rainy season has arrived with intensity and stressed the need for efficient drainage since rainfall amounting to over one inch and a half poses a challenge to drainage structures.

He pointed out that extensive preparations for the rainy season has been undertaken but still a lot more have to be done.

In the various regions, the minister disclosed the preparatory works include the proper maintenance of drains and canals, ensuring drainage pumps are up and running as well as strengthening the crown dams to better manage the water in the conservancies and backlands.

Persaud emphasised that the intense rainy period will pose some challenges and the primary focus at this time is to drain the excess water quickly off land.

He said the intermittent showers which are expected to last until Saturday as forecast by the Hydromet Office is welcome news for farmers, notably rice farmers who are still harvesting because they need the access dams to their fields to be in good shape.

A break in weather he contended will not only be important on a drainage stand point but also on a production perspective since some amount of harvesting are taking place in the sugar industry.

“The January rain was a bit extensive into February, it delayed the crop, it delayed some land preparation, some of the cultivation activities, so it stretched some of the crop into the May/June and so it’s now a challenge for our farmers,” he told reporters.

The minister urged regional and local government officials in the various regions to work with farmers to ensure access dams are in good shape and pointed out that the water levels of the conservancies have been dropped to an average 56 GD (Georgetown Data) to widen their storage capacity.

Hinds speaking on the preparation in Georgetown reported that rehabilitation of the second pump at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara is expected to be completed in two weeks and the two new pumps that were ordered for the Kitty Pump Station should arrive here by the end of July.

He said the heavy rains have mostly affected areas in South Georgetown and warned that similar spells will continue until August.

The Acting President also lamented that squatting on the city’s reserve continues to impede clearing of canals and on that score he implored citizens to desist from disposing their refuse in an environmentally unfriendly manner.

Some of the areas visited by Mr. Hinds and his team were the Kitty and Liliendaal Pump Stations, drainage channels in Sophia and the flooded streets of Festival City.