KURU KURU farmers on the Linden/Soesdyke highway are concerned about the significant impact of flooding in the area, and specifically about the effect of the clogged Badrima Creek on their farmlands. Their concerns, expressed during this rainy season, have impelled Minister within the Agriculture Ministry, Mr. Ali Baksh, to visit the area, accompanied by a team from that ministry, along with Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Mr. Lionel Wordsworth.
The Minister’s entourage met last Thursday with the Kuru Kuru farmers, to listen to their concerns and find alternative solutions to their problems. While several issues affecting farmers in that area were aired, the most significant concern was the clogged Badrima Creek, which creates major problems for the farmers.
Minister Baksh told the gathering that government was aware of the situation, and that restoration of the Cunha Canal was intended to relieve the situation by releasing water from the Badrima through the Cunha.
However, money allocated to restore the Cunha Canal had not been approved by the combined opposition in Parliament. Until the situation in Parliament changes, alternative solutions would have to be employed.
He said that surveys have being done to find alternative ways to drain the land, but those have proven unsuccessful; and the only recourse was to work with the farmers to build high dams that would keep out the water from the farmlands during the high tides.
Minister Alli Baksh told the farmers that they would also have to play a part in cleaning the creek in the meantime. “It is not only the cleaning of the creek that government has to consider if a decision was to be taken to release the water, but where the water would go, since it could flood other areas…also farmers have to assist in keeping it clean to avoid a recurrence.”
Farmers agreed that restoring the Cunha Canal was the best way forward with regard to the overflowing Badrima Creek, and the minister conceded it was evident that farmers of the Kuru Kuru area had experienced losses recently because of the state of its drainage and irrigation system, but he said the ministry was working to curb the situation, and additional efforts would be made to assist farmers of the Kuru Kuru area with their drainage and irrigation system in order to minimize the effects of flooding and reduce their losses.
According to the minister, the government has been making every effort to ensure that the livelihoods of citizens are taken care of, however, there is only so much that can be done, because of the limited resources available to them.
“At no time, as a developing country, (would we) be in a position to help every single community immediately with a request; but we will try our best to see how much we can assist, because everywhere we go there is demand for machinery,” Minister Baksh stated.
He continued: “It’s not like long ago, when people used to use the shovel and cutlass and clean drains, because people are going into (farming) more widespread, and as a result there are bigger drains to deal with, and manual labour sometimes can’t deal with those issues, you have to get machines; and to get a machine is a very costly exercise, and we believe that we can collectively — how we are dealing with these issues — find some solution and some resolution to the problems that you may have.”
Minister Baksh gave all assurances that government would continue to work and ensure that bread has not been taken out of the mouths of Guyanese. He said President Donald Ramotar was making alternative arrangements to fund projects that were terminated as a result of the budget cuts.
Further, the minister said that as technology advances, works are being conducted to get persons more aware and educated on growing and protecting crops and livestock, and also getting markets for them.
“You should recognize (that), because of the new, technologically advanced world we’re living in today, people are having more access to information, and as a result, we are setting up certain types of operation within the ministry, to give people and feed them information as to, not only how you can grow and protect and how you can extend, but the other thing is to have markets for your crops,” He highlighted.