-due to high rainfall, spring tides
THE East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) Board has been forced to resume controlled discharge out of the Maduni and Lama sluices, and given the high level of rainfall recorded in the areas at reference, residents in the Mahaica and Mahaicony River communities will see a compounding of flood conditions.
This is according to the Ministry of Agriculture, and based on a flood advisory issued yesterday, the decision to release into the Maduni and Lama sluices was prompted by the continued rainfall resulting from the La Nina weather condition and ongoing spring tide.
“The level of the East Demerara Water Conservancy has been rising dangerously. More than 5 inches of rainfall were recorded in the EDWC for the past six hours,” the advisory said.
“Also, residents in other low-lying areas along the Coast and in-land regions are asked to take maximum precaution. All the relevant agencies are on a high state of responsiveness and alert,” the advisory added.
A similar controlled release into the Mahaica and Mahaicony Rivers had commenced early last week, but was subsequently suspended after the level of the water in the EDWC had dropped.
As part of the efforts at monitoring the ongoing situation, Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud paid a visit to Mahaica and Mahaicony yesterday.
During the tour of Mahaica, the Minister made requests of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for the provision of a number of agricultural tractors to aid in the pumping of water from saturated areas. On hand during the tour was CEO of the MMA scheme, Rudolph Gajraj.
The Minister said that from all indications, the rainfall experienced over the last few days has surpassed that which was experienced during the 2004/2005 deluge by some 45 percent.
At Mahaica, the Minister and his team went to Little Biaboo, De Hoop and Broken Water Land, among other places. He and his team also promised farmers help with fuel to run tractors used for pumping water off their land. He also arranged for farmers in many of the areas to have access to the services of excavators, some of which had to be deployed from non-essential operations. Some of the machines also had to be relocated from the Hope Canal project.
Minister Persaud pointed out that the Government is spending some $7M on fuel alone for distribution to farmers in the various flooded areas nationwide. The excavators’ main purpose was to ‘tie’ or empolder lands of rice and other farmers and homesteads. Some of the excavators were also used to do revetment works.
A woman, one Hemwattie Hemraj, complained that her husband and father have a jointly-owned rice plot, and all of their rice fields are under water. She said her father has 41 acres while her husband has some 25 acres, and that while reaping is still possible with good weather, she needs an excavator to ‘tie’ the dam, or empolder it to protect it from rising waters. “Because if de Hymac nah come, everything go done,” she said.
Over at Mahaicony, the team went to Mora Point, where more fuel was delivered to farmers. The Minister also promised farmers there that they would get some assistance with combine harvesters to harvest their rice. The Minister said they would also get some help with grain carts, and that livestock feed will be made available for those with animals.
Some of the farmers at Mora Point asked for assistance with jobs, and Gajraj gave a commitment that they would be given labourer jobs at the MMA.
Finally, the Minister met with farmers at the Gordon Table Primary School in the Mahaicony River and continued to make interventions where necessary to farmers who needed the services of excavators and those who needed veterinary supplies for their livestock.
The Minister said too that the Ministry of Health and the Civil Defence Commission have been placed on alert.