— due to clogged drains, call on authority to remedy situation

FISHERFOLKS of Number 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, are facing a challenge to work since the channel which they use to access the sea is clogged as it has reportedly not been cleaned and cleared for months.
Several fishermen told Guyana Chronicle that they are dissatisfied with work being done to maintain the channel.

One fisherman, Nakool Manohar, said the channel is blocked by bushes and a mud bank and that he and his colleagues have to wait for hours for high tide in order to get out to sea.

“This thing really dangerous because when the tide drops again, we got to wait in the sea until it rises for us to return to shore… during that time we fish spoil and so,” lamented Manohar.

He said if the channel is not dredged soon, fishers will continue to incur severe losses since, in addition to losing their catch due to spoilage, their boats also get destroyed when they hit the mud bank.

Several fishermen complained that they have had to change the propellers of their boat frequently. A propeller costs at least $80,000.
This newspaper was told that the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), which is responsible for clearing the channel, has been clearing the front part of the waterway and neglecting the mouth of the channel.

Some of the fishers said even though they raised this matter with the NDC, nothing has been done to remedy the situation.
Manohar is calling on the relevant authorities to address this matter, which will allow fishers to ply their trade without obstruction.
Efforts to contact the NDC for a comment proved futile.