By Michel Outridge 

LOCALS of Golden Grove Sea Dam, East Bank Demerara, say they are eking out a living aback the village and also sharing it with an influx of Venezuelan migrants, who fled their country in search of a better life here in Guyana.

One of the locals, Viadishwar Krishna, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has been residing at the location for the past three years with his wife and three children.

He however, disclosed that a lot of foreigners are now also living on the sea dam among the locals.

Krishna said because of the language barrier they cannot communicate as they should, but they use a form of sign language to talk to them.

He added that they are humans too, so they try to co-exist with the foreigners who, he said, are also on the hunt for work.

Krishna told the Pepperpot Magazine that Market Street, Golden Grove Sea Dam, is like a whole village by itself and he is new to fishing, a job he was forced into to provide for his family.

As a new fisherman, he stated that he managed to have a fishing boat and would go out to the Atlantic Ocean at least four days per week.

Krishna related that depending on the catch at tide, he would go up to the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) and return to Golden Grove, because he doesn’t want to venture out too far alone.

When the Pepperpot Magazine caught up with him, he was in his yard mending some torn seine, preparing for another fishing expedition.

After his catch, be it small or large, he would walk around the village and sell it and whatever money is garnered he would make the necessary purchases of groceries.

“I glad if I can get a piece of land to erect a proper house, as you can see how I living here – I used to live in Grove by my step-parents and just moved away because I wanted to be myself with my family,” Krishna said.

He disclosed that among the locals at Golden Grove Sea Dam more than 10 families are residing at the location and most are self-employed.

Since it is an unregularised squatting area, they have no electricity nor potable water and some use generators, while others use lamps.

The Pepperpot Magazine also spoke to veteran koker operator, Suraj Sato, a resident of Market Street, Golden Grove.

He revealed that he has been manning the koker for the past 21 years, a job he takes seriously to ensure the koker is functional.

Sato, however, reported that there is constant erosion taking place at the sea dam, the koker is sinking and remedial works are necessary to rectify the issue.

Although he has been the koker operator since the days of Guysuco, he now reports to the Region Four administration and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

Sato explained that the tide changes every six hours and he has to make sure there is no overtopping and the koker is operational.

At age 64, he added that it is a 24-hour job but does it anyway, because he lives within walking distance of the Golden Grove koker that is located on the sea dam.