By Alva Solomon
AS cultivation of cassava – a staple in the Rupununi – is feeling the effects of the current El Nino dry weather conditions, efforts are being made to actively cushion the problem, including the ferrying of 450-gallon water tanks to affected communities.Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock told this newspaper yesterday that regional administration is actively addressing the dry weather conditions. The Central and South Rupununi have been hardest hit by the weather phenomenon. The Regional Chairman said that the womenfolk in the region have been complaining about the quality of the cassava as well as the truncated growth of some plants.
“Some plants were dying and the stocks were depleting,” he said, noting that the staple is an important food in the region, given its multiple uses including for cassava bread and farine.
“The leaves are falling off and that is a sign that there is no moisture going to the tubers, he explained. He said that there has been recent rainfall in parts of Central and South Rupununi. He noted however, the situation remains grim in outlying parts of the region.
Allicock said that the capacity filled tanks will be sent to those affected villages in the event the situation becomes dire, noting that there are frequent updates provided to a Risk Reduction Committee, which was set up to address the problem. That committee is made up of the Regional Chairman and his deputy, members of the Red Cross, the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), the Lethem Power Company and others, including volunteers.
Reports on conditions in affected and probable areas are collected three days per week and these reports are forwarded to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the relevant ministries in Georgetown. Allicock said that at the moment equipment is kept in store and ready for deployment when the need arises. “It’s two-fold, also because if we have flooding we have to be prepared for those outcomes,” he added.

DIGGING OF WELLS
Technical persons from Lethem have travelled dozens of miles south to Masakenyari in the South Rupununi to assist the Wai Wai villagers there in the digging of wells. Allicock said that the community has been experiencing a technical problem in the digging of wells, mainly at the base of the water source.
The toshao of the village requested assistance from the regional authorities, since the creeks there were drying-up and alternate sources of water were considered.
“The wells they were digging were caving in at the bottom, so we sent some people in to assist with the laying of rings at the bottom of the wells,” Allicock said. He explained that the wells are stacked with concrete blocks at the base to prevent the bottom from crumbling and he noted that the installation process can also be dangerous.
The team is expected to return to Lethem this week and will be accompanied by the Wai Wais, who are expected to travel to the city to commence works on the Umana Yana in Kingston.
Meanwhile, the regional authorities have identified several villages, which will be assisted with technical support to improve their water supply. These include the village of Marakanata near to Yupukari. Some 7 households exist there and the water supply there is said to be affected by the dry weather. However, water will also be sourced and filtered to the villages near the south Pakaraimas in the coming weeks, while the regional teams will visit Yorungparu to improve the water system there.
The El Nino dry weather conditions have resulted in a marked drop in the water level in the Rupununi in recent months. Rainfall figures indicate that the weather pattern changed significantly around July-August last year and regional reports have indicated that the trend can stretch into the second quarter of this year.
Recently, the region has been experiencing intermittent rainfall – a trend which residents and the authorities are hoping will improve in the days ahead.