Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, yesterday tasked agencies within his Ministry with taking immediate action to complement efforts by the Ministry of Public Works in ensuring that the sea defense situation in some villages on West Coast Berbice is quickly brought under control.

The Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) were asked to install temporary self-acting kokers to block salt water in the façade drain from entering the village.

Four of these kokers are to be installed temporarily, while the Ministry of Public Works Sea Defence Unit seals the major breach at El Dorado.

The Minister  also deployed Staffers of the Agricultural Extension Unit to visit the cultivation plots of  those affected, do assessments and offer farmers advice on how they can minimise losses.

He gave the directions during a visit to the site of the breach at El Dorado village yesterday morning, accompanied by the Region 5 Chairman Harrinarine Baldeo, General Manager of the MMA/ADA Aubrey Charles, Chief Public Works Engineer  Ravindranauth Johnny and other Officials.

Farmers who participated in discussions with the Minister estimated that that these kokers, if promptly installed, will secure at least four hundred acres of  rice currently under threat.

Johnny disclosed that work on sealing the breach at El Dorado will start today.

Two other breaches at Foulis are to be sealed on completion of this major one.

Major breaches developed in the sea defences at El Dorado and Foulis Wednesday night last leading to the intrusion of salt water in residential and cultivation areas on Thursday and yesterday during high tides.

During a visit to the villages Thursday, the Chronicle observed two major breaches in the earthen sea defenses at Foulis and one at El Dorado with the earthen dam being washed away completely.

One of the  two breaches at Foulis measured 200 hundred meters at one spot and about 60 meters at another spot and both were rapidly widening as the high tide surged inwards around 5 p.m.

The level of the water in the Atlantic was about the same level as the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/Agricultural Development Authority’s (MMA/ADA)  façade drain.  

The breach at El Dorado was the longest, measuring close to  400 metres and at the time of visit was under an onslaught from the Atlantic.

Cash crop and rice farmers reported gardens and other cultivation plots in both villages had been inundated by the salt water.

The submergence of these areas under high tide is expected to continue today, but may ease somewhat with the expected neap tide, the lowest level of high tide, within the next two or three days.

Minister Persaud agreed with residents that the situation with respect to the breaches in the sea defences was precarious.

“We  don’t want the sea defenses here to go crumbling and salt water coming into residential and farming areas. We are also very concerned about salt water getting into the irrigation channels. There is definitely a need for urgent action here before we lose control,” he said during the one hour visit.