THE government has already launched a full capacity response to the El Nino situation and is doing all in its power to capitalise on limited resources. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth said a taskforce of representatives comprising every agency connected to the response has been formed.

Wordsworth made the statement at a recent forum held by the Guyana Agricultural Producers’ Association (GAPA) at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) Mon Repos, to discuss El Nino and its effects on non-traditional farmers.

He disclosed that regular meetings are being kept where interventions are reviewed and further involvement discussed.

Outlining some of the interventions, Wordsworth said the NDIA has been monitoring the storage level in the conservancies to sustain gravity flow irrigation.

It has also been pumping water into the Perth-Baiboo Canal to ensure a reliable source of fresh water.

Water is also being pumped from a creek at Boerasirie, East Bank Essequibo, into the primary irrigation channels allowing water to flow to areas such as B-Line and Leonora in Region Three.

“Even the source from which we are pumping is drying out so we have placed an excavator and pontoon to dredge the conservancy,” the CEO explained.

He noted that the Capoey Lake is currently dried out so NDIA has placed pumps at the Dawa Canal leading to the Pomeroon River to distribute water to farmlands in Region Two.

Wordsworth added that there are 28 excavators currently working in specific areas to clean and irrigate canals and waterways in order to ensure that farmers have access to water.

Government will be ratcheting up its responses with nationwide outreaches to address the impact on both cash and livestock farmers.

Intervention for farmers and the entire agriculture sector has been structured for the short, medium and long term as efforts are made to overcome challenges and ensure viability.

Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud said farmers can be assured that resources will be employed to reduce the effects of the El Nino phenomenon. (GINA)