-Minister Benn tells West Coast Berbice Rice Farmers during inspection today
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, in his capacity as Minister of Agriculture acting, Thursday visited several villages along East Coast Demerara and West Coast Berbice to inspect flood-affected villages and determine where interventions can be made to bring relief to affected residents.
The inspection started from Liliendaal which is still affected after Monday’s deluge, which saw the capital city and several villages on the East Coast under water.
The minister, along with Chief Executive Officer, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth; and Chairman of the Mahaica-Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Rudolph Gajraj, also visited the Ogle pump and inspected the area.
The minister stated that villages starting from Turkeyen to Ogle, leading all the way to Lusignan, Buxton and farther up the coast, are still experiencing some amount of flooding.
He noted that cultivation areas, particularly settlements, are still impacted, and the ministry is mulling short-term interventions which include cutting certain dams to improve water flow and installing culverts.
“We are looking at locations where the next positioning of pumps would be done, particularly on the West Coast Berbice, where we have problems with rice being threatened, and the question of a major intervention on the main road to save acres of rice soon to be reaped in the MMA scheme,” Minister Benn said.
He added that the situation is being evaluated at No. 8 Village, where in the trenches on either side of the main road there is a three-foot difference in water elevation. The authorities are looking at this issue to see how it can be resolved.
“The problem here is that they have blocked off the old culverts. We have to decide whether we will cut the road or pump or whatever,” the minister explained.
This decision will be made very shortly and the relevant action will be taken to bring relief to the affected farmers.
Speaking to some farmers and residents at No.8 village, who approached the team while inspection was being carried out, Minister Benn told them that no one anticipated the present problem but measures are being put in place to bring relief.
The ministry already has a plan to build a bridge over the affected area under the Bridges 11 programme.
The team, which was joined along the route by General-Secretary, Rice Producers Association, Dhankumar Seeraj, also inspected the sea defence breach at Brahan.
“We are concerned that there have been delays in works at the site, we have a problem of an 82-metre breach there where the water surges through at high tide and is getting into the façade drains and then backing up into the cultivation areas,” Minister Benn stated.
He added that efforts are being made to encourage the contractor to speed up activity at the site so that the issue can be resolved before the next tidal cycle arrives, by mid next month.
Work has been ongoing at that location for the past two years and involves the continued construction of the sea defence structure.
He noted that opening up the public road at No. 8 and No. 7 Villages will certainly help the situation.
Meanwhile, a new sluice is set to be commissioned at Mahaicony today.
Finishing touches are at present being done to get the structure operational, so as to help bring further relief to the residents and farmers there.
Minister Benn and team inspected the situation there as well, and he noted that the dams to tie in the revetment works are being finalised so as to bring them into operation.
Wordsworth told GINA that the flooding situation continues to improve and as long as the weather continues to be good, the water will recede. (GINA)