HEAVY rainfall over the past several days have resulted in losses of crops and livestock to farmers along Corentyne Coast in Berbice. That part of Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), regarded as the agricultural basin of the country, suffered the loss in cash crops and livestock after several inches of rain left it inundated.
In addition, the incompetence of some sluice operators has also been blamed and residents are requesting that the Regional Administration address this issue.
Residents of Number 36 and Brighton villages pointed to poor drainage and indiscriminate dumping of garbage as reasons for blockage in the waterways.
Other areas heavily affected were Ulverston, Rose Hall Town, Port Morant, Tain, Manchester, Lancaster and Mibicuri, Lesbeholden, Johanna and Yakasuri in Black Bush Polder.
Farmer Sangeet Basdeo, of Lesbeholden, told the media that he lost eight acres of cash crops, which consisted of ochro, red beans and blackeye peas.

Submerged
Another man, Boughnauth Prasaud told the Guyana Chronicle that, with the recent high tides, water has been getting into his farm and the rainfall has caused his pumpkins, squash, ochro and bean plants to be submerged.
“This water has been on the land since Thursday night and it has no place to go. The only place the water drains is at Number 43 Village,” he said.
Regional Chairman David Armogan maintained that mechanisms have been put in place to assist with quick drainage.
“We have deployed machinery to the affected communities. However, priority will be given to farming communities,” he promised.
Armogan also faulted the operators for not operating the sluice doors in a timely manner but said, if there is no further rain, current systems in place should take about one and a half days to drain the flooded communities.
About what arrangement can be implemented to ensure the community monitor the sluice attendants, former Liaison Officer within the Office of the President and now Member of Parliament (MP) Fizal Jafferally admitted that people do not want to take the job to watch over the sluice operators.

Refused
“They say it is our job. We even offered to pay people who live close to the sluice they refused,” he disclosed.
Meanwhile, Black Bush Polder resident Deocalee Tulsie complained of losing livestock to flood waters in her community.
She said the creole fowls are flying to a higher haven but the meat birds or white fowls are dying.
Other livestock rearers have lamented losing sheep lambs and goat kids as a result of the current floods.
Last January 29, eight inches of rainfall caused widespread floods in Region Six and many of those affected then said they have not been able to recover from that disaster.
“Since that flood, we had to sow but, before we could have reaped the crop, the rains came again,” one of the affected farmers complained.
Meanwhile, the constant downpours also hit residents of New Amsterdam and its environs, with children wading through ankle high water to get to school and adults to their places of employment.
Many streets within the township were flooded, due to the poor system of drainage, which is blocked with overgrown weeds and garbage. Some residents living in ground level flats were forced to move to higher ground because of the rising waters.
At the Berbice High Court, some female litigants had to be lifted by their male counterparts while others opted to don long boots.