Minister Persaud urges residents not to be complacent
-says Regional authorities must ensure enhanced monitoring
MINISTER OF Agriculture, Robert Persaud yesterday warned East Coast Demerara residents that while less rain is forecast for the next few days, they must not be complacent in taking all actions necessary to ensure that they are prepared for flooding.
He made the comments after an inspection tour of drainage and irrigation structures along the East Coast, going first to Lusignan and ending at Victoria, while making short stops at various points in between.
“Over the last 48 hours, we would have seen a significant increase in rainfall, all within the whole La Nina phenomenon. The drainage system has been coping, as we have seen along the East Coast…one of the most vulnerable areas. We have seen the system responding. There are some low-lying areas that had some minor accumulation but the East Coast so far is in relatively good order,” he said.
He anticipated that water would come down from the back-lands, compounding the situation. “While we see that the levels might be low in some regards, residents should expect to see water build up. Certainly, once the pumps and sluices are working, this will help,” he said.
Noting that there are surveillance teams out in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) as well, Minister Persaud said that in the last 24 hours, the area has recorded its highest amount of rainfall ever, topping over 5 inches of rain. Teams have also been deployed in Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) and Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands) and other parts of the country, with a view to monitoring the situation on the ground.
He said that the Golden Fleece area is still under stress following the rains of some weeks ago, and the present spate of rainfall. “In a general way, the system is responding well, but we need to ensure that the pumps are turned on in time, and that the sluices are opened, since we continue to get complaints,” he said.
Following such complaints, the Minister implored Regional authorities to ensure that pump attendants come out on time. He also called on residents to play their role in ensuring that the operators do what they need to on time.
“On the East Coast, we are continuing to upgrade our infrastructure,” he said, adding that the pumps there are presently undergoing rehabilitation, which would allow more units to be functioning when drainage is needed.
“This facility drains a wide catchment. We are also doing upgrades at Golden Grove, as well as in the Cane Grove area. In Greenfield, we are building a new pump station there,” he said, mentioning other similar projects that the Ministry, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), is addressing.
“We continue to look very carefully at the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Creeks because we have seen a lot of rainfall take place there. So they, as well as the conservancies, are under close watch,” he said, adding:
“We are calling on residents to be alert. We are still in the La Nina [period], so there could be no level of complacency in this regard. [This experience] should galvanise stakeholders and residents to be much more conscious of what we do [to ensure that we are as responsive as we can be].”