…concerns raised over non-functioning excavator, blocked channel

RICE farmers of Branch Road, Mahaicony and of Foulis and Profitt villages on the West Coast of Berbice (WCB) on Monday expressed concern about the quality of service by excavator machines deployed to these areas by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

Residents at Foulis and Bath, WCB, said that a machine was taken to desilt the secondary drainage channel leading to the Atlantic coast façade drain some time last week, but the machine instead blocked the channel  and then was promptly  taken away to another location. “So what we are now facing is a situation where the main drainage channel has been deliberately blocked by an NDIA machine.

There is now no drainage south of the public road and the other result is that as at yesterday, the blocked drain had already begun to overflow its banks, causing a growing flooding situation of the access dam,” one resident said.

Residents surmised that the action may have been taken by the operator to facilitate a build-up of water for a neighbouring rice farmer, but protested that the NDIA should not facilitate the needs of one farmer to the detriment of several other areas. “The entire drainage system for Profitt and Foulis village makes its way to this channel and now it is blocked. We are demanding that the channel be cleared and that there be an investigation as to how this could be allowed to happen in the first place,” a prominent farmer in the village said.

At Plimpler Basket, Branch Road Mahaicony, rice farmers said that over 1,000 acres of rice  was currently under threat because an NDIA machine which was deployed in the area to clean channels in December last had broken down immediately on arrival and has not worked since then.

“What was annoying about this, is that they sent a  machine here before  and then took it away and sent it to an area at Mahaica and then sent this broken-down one which has not worked since it arrived,” Chairperson of the Hamlet Chance Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Ms. Paula Morris complained.

Prominent rice farmer Sampson Gibbons said that as a result of the non- functioning of the machine, channels which were designed to provide irrigation to over 1,000 acres of rice in the area remained clogged up and the cultivated plots with crops were starving for water.

He estimated that if there is no relief, farmers could begin losing their cultivations within less than a week. Regional Executive Officer Ovid Morrison who responded to the complaints and visited the two areas, said that he had contacted the NDIA about these two matters and they responded by sending two junior officials, whom he said were not capable of making the decisions which had to be  taken, so the meeting was not held.

He said that the regional administration was very concerned about the adverse  impacts facing rice farmers within the two areas.

He said he hoped for a meeting with senior staff of the NDIA, while at the same time the regional administration would review the situation and see, given the high anticipated costs, how it could assist.

On Monday, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the NDIA Mr. Dave Hicks, when contacted, said he had not been informed of the situation but  promised to investigate and take remedial action where necessary.