AS much as 120 acres of rice could be lost after a breach in Airy Hall’s main drainage dam flooded some 350 acres of rice lands in Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam).And General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj, told the Guyana Chronicle that an assessment is under way to determine the exact losses.

He said, “Right now we are looking at 120 acres. This is young rice. The older rice was able to handle being under water for a little longer. We are going to be doing an assessment to determine exactly how much we lost.”
The GRPA head explained that, depending on the rice variety sown, the rice lands could withstand major damage for up to 36 hours.
Breach Sealed
He added that the breach has since been sealed and residents are dealing with the aftermath of the flooding.
“The break in the rainfall helped, so what we are seeing now is the water receding,” Seeraj said.
The Ministry of Agriculture, in addition, is continuing to monitor the situation.
Written By Vanessa Narine