– with provisions, other essentials to help weather the floods

THE toshaos of Muritaro and Malali in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are asking not to be forgotten, as they too were affected by the recent floods which hit several riverine communities in the region.

On Tuesday, Toshao Loretta Fiedtkou told the Guyana Chronicle that in Muritaro, where some 300 persons reside, farmers representing 50 per cent of the population and young children are being greatly affected by the after effects of the floods.

Fiedtkou said that although the floodwaters have receded to five inches and below, she is still concerned about the health threats which have emerged as a result of the mud, slush and stagnated water left behind.

“When the water is rising, you don’t get that much problems; it’s when the water starts going down,” she said. “It takes time to go down, and the place is left sappy. And now there are mosquitoes, because the water isn’t running and it’s contaminated.
“And there is where people’s children would now be running in the slush, and they get rashes on their skin; they get vomiting and diarrhoea… “And when the water reaches this high, people who use pit latrines are affected.”

Noting that the livelihoods of the village’s farmers, who plant mostly cassava, eddoe, plantain, banana and other cash crops, have also been affected. Fiedtkou says that last year she visited the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Democratic Council (RDC) to report on very similar situations but was unable to receive the needed assistance at the time. Now, as she calls on the assistance of the government, Fiedtkou also petitioned for the addressing of other grievances affecting the village.

She said that about four years ago, the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) had made efforts to drill a well in the community, but after encountering some challenges, the project was abandoned.

“GWI went in a few years ago and they dug a well there, but that well that they put there, they did not bore down to the main vein because they said they encountered challenges, so it’s just top water coming out,” she said, adding:
“We can’t use it for drinking purposes; it has oil, brass and mud, so normally what we do is either boil water or add two drops of bleach to the water.”
At the same time, she also lobbied for the completion of the sanitary block which caters for the children at the village’s school.

Over in Malali, Toshao Orlayne Williams told the Guyana Chronicle that his community faces similar challenges to that of Muritaro.

He said that many of the villagers are losing their main source of income and food, due to floodwaters which have affected the village’s mission, farming grounds, play field and creeks.

“It’s affecting us because we can’t get to fish, because all over is water and swamp,” he said. “We depend upon fish every day because we fish to eat, not to sell.
“So sometimes you can’t go about doing your daily work to the backdam, because the creeks swell up and so you have to turn back and go home.
“We can’t use the water to drink; we have to use the creek water, and when the rain falls, we have to catch rain water.”

The newly-elected toshao says the village has some 44 homes, and requested assistance for these residents, stating: “We need things to treat the water; tablets, mosquito nettings and some foodstuff.”

He also called for work to be done on the entrance road to the village, which he says can only be accessed by tractor.

Just last week, also in Region 10, hundreds of residents in Kwakwani had been hit drastically by some eight feet of floodwaters.

The government, in quick response, had mobilised aid through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to assist the community as the water began showing signs of receding after three or so weeks.