By Mohamed Khan

SITUATED between the Orinoco and Essequibo rivers in an area long inhabited by Arawak Indians, the Pomeroon River is one of the seven great rivers of Guyana, in South America.Unique in its history, splendour and location, the Pomeroon is not only Guyana’s deepest river; not only does it possess no sand bank or island; but unlike the Barima Waini, Essequibo, Demerara, Berbice or Corentyne rivers, which discharge their waters into the Atlantic Ocean in a north-easterly direction, the 200-odd mile Pomeroon River discharges its waters into the Atlantic in Guyana’s North-West Region in a westerly direction.

This river was first inhabited by the Cariwanna tribes about 3000 years ago, and they have left many historical landmarks in attestation, one of which is the largest shell mound in Guyana.

The archaeological record located in the Upper Pomeroon at Siriki indicates that an original Dutch plantation now known as Charity is now the main transit point for the North West District, Venezuela and Trinidad. Charity is also the point where the river is traditionally described as Lower and Upper Pomeroon.

At Charity, the river leads up to the Cuyuni Ridge, but changes course beginning from a north-easterly direction.

The traditional fresh water black river whale, electric eel and silver scale piranha are all part of the Pomeroon’s interesting marine fauna. Unlike the Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice rivers, the tide height in the Pomeroon River is about five feet.

While there are many special facilities — schools, health centres, churches, shops or sports grounds – located in the Pomeroon, the only means of transportation is by boat. At an early age, parents would teach their children practical lessons relative to paddling their way to school, and to crossing the river.

The Upper Pomeroon has deposits of bauxite, colombite and tantalite and gold. The five pork-knockers who found traces of gold in 1944 were James Tilsbury, Joseph Scadd, M Sankar, Edron Gouveia and Manson Melville. The legendary village is still occupied by tribes belonging to its original occupants.

The Pomeroon River is the supply reservoir for the five-mile-wide Tapakuma Lake which irrigates 35,000 acres of rice land during the long dry weather.

One magnificent piece of engineering was done in 1960 when a huge pump station was built in the middle of the Tapakuma Lake. That structure is the Dawa Pumping Station.