.jpg)
Mocha/Arcadia was occupied primarily by people of African ancestry during the days of slavery, and derived its name from the principal activity that used to be engaged in there: Coffee production. Located some six miles from ‘The Garden City’ (as the capital, Georgetown, is sometimes called), this village presents quite a comforting spectacle when viewed from the East Bank Public Road.
A vehicle ride a considerable distance along its access road would take visitors first into the section called Arcadia, then into Mocha, which has not lost its historic aura, although evolving from its old world charm.
In bygone years, the tales of Mocha/Arcadia detailed a picture of the fused village laced with muddy dams, intolerable roads, poor drainage, and other negative issues. Residents at one time took to blocking roads in protest of the village’s not-so-impressive infrastructure, and also protested the lack of a steady supply of potable water.
Mocha/Arcadia today
Mocha/Arcadia continues to visibly evolve in its development, and today has its own police outpost, National Library and several areas of worship. There are also Digicel and GT&T signal stations in the area, so telephone communication — especially cellular — is at its best.
And no longer are residents forced to travel long distances in search of entertainment. The relatively new ‘Apple’ nightclub and few other smaller nightspots offer karaoke and various concept parties, but mostly at weekends.
Families can stock up on their groceries and household items at the Seckel’s Variety Store and other small outlets that continue to spring up in the village.
Today, several new features are popping up, and many government projects geared at making life more comfortable for residents are being implemented.
Mocha/Arcadia residents certainly welcome government’s attention which they currently enjoy. From several interviews, it was quite obvious that the majority were elated that the village is even presently receiving a facelift, so to speak.
As we turned off the Providence, East Bank Demerara Public Road, our taxi driver, who was relatively new to the area, was forced to slow his speed with the screeching of tires… The Mocha Arcadia access road was in the processing of having a complete ‘government makeover’, and our driver was not aware of that.
We were forced to travel quite slowly, but it was an appealing sight to watch the men at work on the road being constructed. And strangely, too, school children were playing on an excavator parked nearby.
Up to July last year, the road was at its worst, and residents were appealing to have it repaired for their facility. Today, with the ongoing repairs, residents are pleased; and amongst them was Quacy Waldron, a certified chef, who resides in the area.
“The problem with the Mocha/Arcadia road has been a nagging issue for as long as I can remember. The fact that Government is finally repairing and upgrading it comes as a welcome relief to residents. We are very happy that our Government is playing a vital role in our welfare”.
According to reports, the deep potholes on the roads have long been a nuisance. One senior citizen reportedly twisted her ankle in one such hole, and had been left incapacitated for more than a month.
Vehicle owners were ‘feeling the squeeze’ because maintenance of their vehicles was becoming increasingly costly as a result of the numerous potholes.
Chairman of the community, Mr. Gregory John, said that residents of the community owe more than $6M in rates and taxes; and as such, there are not enough funds for maintenance of the area.
Construction of Mocha/Arcadia access road is ongoing, and is expected to be completed in two months’ time. The road, 2.5 kilometres long and six metres wide, is being built in full, from sand level to an asphaltic surface.
Senior Engineer from the Ministry of Housing and Water, Omar Narine, explained that construction of the road became necessary because of the magnitude of development that has been ongoing in that area.
The road will facilitate access to the Remigrants’ Housing Scheme, the Providence Moderate Housing Scheme and the existing Mocha/Arcadia Housing Scheme.
The contract, being executed by BK International, was signed in March 2012 at the cost of $330M.
The eight-month contract will be completed two months ahead of its duration. Under this contract, the Housing Ministry will undertake to reconstruct the Mocha access bridge from a wooden structure to a concrete one. Additionally, five drainage structures will be constructed at strategic locations along the road to drain the water from Providence into the Mocha canal, and eventually through the Mocha sluice into the Demerara river.
Livelihood
Most of the residents seek employment outside of the village. Few of them are pork-knockers in the interior regions. However, it seems like the roles of the housewives have changed these days, since a large number of houses showcase ‘small shops or stalls’ manned by mothers who sit all day trading their groceries, black pudding, egg balls, polouri, or custard blocks for a quick dollar.
Lots of residents depend on farming, not only for an income, but also to keep a steady supply of fresh vegetables, ground provisions and other items on the table. Others are more concerned with the income generated from cattle and poultry rearing.
Just recently, farmers were encouraged to diversify their agricultural activities with the aim of bettering their produce and improving on their targeted production.
Last January, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Crops and Livestock held an informative and interactive meeting with farmers of Mocha Arcadia on issues relating to crop cultivation, animal rearing, and drainage and irrigation.
This was done in keeping with Government’s initiative to diversify and expand agriculture on a commercial basis, in addition to ensuring that necessary conditions — such as drainage and irrigation, appropriate technology and knowledge — are present for high levels of production.
The meeting, which was held in the community, was attended by the Minister in the Agriculture Minister, Minister Ali, and managerial and technical staff of the Ministry.
Crops and Livestock
In light of Mocha/Arcadia farmers producing crops on a small scale, the Ministry has indicated that it will provide investment support to foster expansion, so that crops can be produced in bulk for commercial sale. This will be done on the merit of the creation of groups to promote better collaboration, and create competitive advantage and transparency.
A Needs Assessment Workshop was conducted in the area on January 23 to ascertain the crops, livestock and technical support required by the community, Minister Ali noted. He indicated that the Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Development Project Officers will meet with the groups to discuss specific needs, and this will lead to development of a strategic plan to outline how those needs will be addressed.
The Minister noted that the agriculture sector is aiming to gain a large market for local produce in the Caribbean. The Caribbean’s food import bill was approximately US$4 billion in 2009. If local production increases, the possibility of Guyana being a large supplier of agricultural produce exists.
Paramount to that vision will be farmers taking on greater responsibilities related to providing ideas and contributing to the growth and development of the sector. The Minister emphasized that it should be a bottom-up approach, since farmers have first-hand advantage on many issues surrounding agriculture.
Minister Ali also recommended that the farmers’ groups be more proactive. He explained that the Ministry has an open-door policy.
Recently plantains and bananas were affected by a fungus-like disease, and the Ministry has since embarked upon sensitizing farmers on certain measures to adopt in order to contain and control the disease. However, samples of the fungus have been sent to Trinidad for testing, so that the Ministry can determine what the disease is, its origin and its cure, Minister Ramsammy noted while responding to a concern shared by a resident.
The proper management of cattle was discussed, to address the issue of wandering animals on the roadways. Dr. Dwight Waldron, Director of the National Dairy Development Programme, indicated that the pasture available for cattle cannot accommodate the approximately 300 head of cattle in the area. As such, the Ministry will implement a zero grazing system, whereby farmers will cut grass from the pasture and feed it to their cattle.
Minister Ali noted that farmers interested in accessing new breeds of sheep and goats can do so only if they satisfy the criteria for ownership, since those ruminants are expensive.
To boost the management and development of livestock Minister Ali noted that the Guyana Livestock Development Authority Bill 2009 has been passed, and this will allow the centralized provision of services to farmers.
Drainage & Irrigation
The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has been very vibrant in the Mocha/ Arcadia area, working to strengthen drainage systems and maintain the cleanliness of the drains and canals.
Approximately $7.2M has been expended on the maintenance programme for 2008/2009 period, according to Government reports.
In times gone by, access to potable water was indeed an issue in the Mocha/Arcadia area, and residents had lamented the adverse effects it had placed on their well-being and existence. That was targeted in 2009 by the Guyana Citizens’ Initiative (GCI), an entity registered under the Friendly Societies Act, in association with the Mocha/Arcadia Barnwell Motivators and Action Committee, which implemented rainwater technology projects at four sites in the Mocha/Arcadia and Caneview communities on the East Bank of Demerara.
The projects, which began in October 2006, were designed to bring clean water to these communities, and was centred on meeting seven of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
GCI provided G$1,847,835., while the Mocha/Arcadia Barnwell Motivators and Action Committee made in-kind contributions. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Ecoclubs United, an NGO connected to provision of water, provided technical and monitoring support to the project.
At that time, Guyana had many unregulated areas that were not provided with water, electricity and social services because they were not incorporated within official local government boundaries.
The key beneficiaries of the intervention were poor elderly people; single-parent families, some with more than five children; homes with large numbers of extended family members; and families with disabled individuals (shut-ins).
Families
Eight objectives were addressed by the project, entitled the Household Water Treatment Technology (HWTS) project.
These were: the lack of safe drinking water and water for basic hygiene; addressing poverty alleviation and social inequality; community education on the value of water and good sanitation; gender parity; job creation (purification product); management skills development for accountability; environmental sustainability, and community advocacy through well organized Water Users Associations.
The Guyana Citizens’ Initiative Rainwater Technology Project in the Mocha/Arcadia and Caneview communities has been a huge success, as measured by both the satisfaction of the participants and the health benefits that are being provided on a daily basis.
Potable water is now available to 45 households, with 167 men, women and children at the four sites. Of these households, 23 families in the unregulated area of Caneview, which has 49 children, are receiving clean water for the first time in eight years.
Prior to GCI’s intervention, reports indicate that diarrhea occurred in 21 of 23 homes in Caneview, as trench water was used on a daily basis. This disease has been completely eradicated.
Overall, this project has dramatically improved the lives of those being served by the four trestles. This is especially true for working women and school-aged children.
Recreation
There is still great scope for upgrading and implementing of recreational facilities in Mocha/Arcadia. Presently, the Mocha Playfield is in a ‘run down’ state, with broken fences and a landscape that cries out for ‘levelling and filling’. There are still some small roads in the village to be repaired as well.
The fence is completely gone on one side, and it is the self-help efforts of Mocha’s Rhythm Squad football team that is saving the day. This team recently placed second at the Banks DIH Football tournament, and is using its cash prize to build over a concrete fence.
However members are appealing for public assistance to come up with fifteen hundred more concrete blocks, cement and other items.
Residents are desirous of having a playfield or fun park for children, since they have to journey to the city to enjoy such luxuries. Elderly vendor Pasty Smith, who supplied most of the information on the village, was equally affected by this issue.
“Our community is certainly going places, but everything takes time. We are very pleased that we are having the access road done, and I know my fellow residents are all pleased at this venture. However, the issue of recreation for youths should certainly be addressed. We would love to have a park or proper play area for our youths, to save the time and expense in travelling to Georgetown for leisure time activities”.
Continuous development
Mocha/Arcadia will soon have a housing scheme neighbouring it. Work there is ongoing at rapid progress, and is a part of Government’s drive to spend more than $4.1B on the East Bank to upgrade several miles of road in Diamond, construct a new access road at Mocha/Arcadia, and develop more house lots in the area.
The housing sector in Guyana has seen tremendous growth over the last five years, both in the private and public sectors; and over the next five years, Government will continue to invest in upgrading infrastructure in Guyana.
In this regard, Government is striving to distribute 30,000 more house lots within the next year.
Approximately 400 house lots were distributed at Plantation Farm, East Bank Demerara, when the Ministry of Housing and Water conducted its 10th ‘One Stop Shop’ exercise not so long ago at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.
This new housing scheme will certainly boost development on the East Bank Corridor, and certainly at Mocha/Arcadia itself. With great plans in the pipeline for this location, Mocha/Arcadia can, in time, become one of the more sophisticated communities in our beautiful Guyana.
