AS residents and farmers of Black Bush Polder (BBP) count their losses following several days of continuous heavy rainfall, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Wednesday, said every household will receive food and sanitation hampers. PM Phillips and Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, led a high-level delegation to the East Berbice-Corentyne area to get a first-hand look at the flood situation and to make an assessment of the residents’ immediate needs. The two senior government functionaries and regional officials during their time in the BBP, listened to the concerns of the residents. The Prime Minister told the residents that the visit was to assess the situation and make recommendations on the way forward. He made a commitment to send hampers which will be distributed by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in collaboration with the Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils. He stressed that this process will commence as early as Saturday since he recognises the urgent need. A few areas in BPP have been under water since last Friday and with the continuous heavy downpour since the weekend, rice, cash crops, livestock and properties are under water. According to farmers, their losses amount to millions of dollars and it is anticipated that they would lose even more if the heavy rain continues. In some areas it is difficult to identify streets and trenches as the water is knee-high.

UNPRECEDENTED RAINFALL
Minister Mustapha explained that the entire country, not only Black Bush Polder, has been seeing some unprecedented and high-intensity rainfall that has placed a strain on the drainage systems country wide. In the case of BBP, he noted that there has been on some days, five – six inches of rainfall. The area’s drainage system can only cater for the drainage of 2 ½ inches of water in a 24-hour period, the minister said, before adding that this situation has necessitated the need for pumps to be used to help drain the water off the lands.
“We are trying to boost our drainage system by complementing them with pumps, as a matter of fact we have additional pumps coming up to put into the drainage system in BPP. Hopefully,

we can have some relief,” he said. He said that in addition to having the pumps installed, the regulators in Canje Creek were turned off to prevent water from the creek entering BPP. He also committed to have an excavator placed at Lesbeholden, Mibicuri, Johanna and Yakusari to assist in the further cleaning and clearing of canals and drains that are being maintained manually by the Water Users Association (WUA) and private contractors. He highlighted that the WUA and some private contractors were owed money by the previous administration. Those sums were cleared by cabinet last week and the outstanding payments would be disbursed so that work can recommence. Further, there has been a change in policy for the maintenance of internal canals and drains. This will be returned to the regional administration so that residents and contractors from within the area can be awarded those contracts.
Minister Mustapha also made a commitment to provide some assistance to the flood-affected rice, cash and livestock farmers following the team’s assessment.
“As a matter of fact, many persons would have suffered losses in terms of livestock, cash crop, and rice. Our agencies GRDB, GLDA, NARIE will be looking at that. I want to make a commitment here that we will try as much as possible to assist those who would have suffered losses in terms of those areas, by giving them back materials and things like that,” he added.

SEVERELY AFFECTED
Meanwhile, residents said they do not anticipate any return to their lands for the next two months or so. They said their livelihood has been severely affected by the flood.
Jagdesh Jadoonath 36, of Lot 48 Mibicuri South and his wife are large scale cash crop farmers. They have given up and are now waiting for the water to recede to return to their lands.
Their community and several others including Zambia and Johanna were left inundated on Monday morning after the main drainage canal at Johanna overtopped its banks due to heavy rainfall. The drainage pump at Eversham, which was out of operation for several days after experiencing some mechanical difficulties, has since been fixed. When this publication visited the affected community on Monday, an excavator was observed working to seal the breach that was in the vicinity of the Johanna bridge. The Jadoonaths explained to the Guyana Chronicle that the rainfall over the past week has been heavy but the rain from Sunday into Monday morning had caused the water to rise tremendously and everything was now flooded. “Right now me get celery in picking stage and it duck. With the $600 a pound price, me woulda clear over 1 million dollar…3000 pepper plant damage and me get 5000 head cabbage that completely destroy. All the money for drugs, fertilisers and suh gone down the drain,” he related. He explained to this publication that whenever the water rose in the past, they would normally pump it into the main canal or to another area but they cannot do this now because the entire area is flooded. “Look them bai a ketch hurrie in my bottom house right now. Me give up, we just gah wait and hope the water nah raise more cause then more damages to house and suh. Me nah even know how me guh start the next crop cause all the money invested gone,” Jagdesh said
Amzad Ally, a cash and cattle farmer of Johanna said his losses are estimated at more than $1million since all his crops which are at various stages of growth are under water.
“This has nothing to do with government. We need help because is one main canal draining this water and it is not enough. They had said they were going to get a separate drainage for Johanna and Yakasuri but nothing yet. The last flood me lose 10 sheep, this one five so far and nah talk about garden cause everybody under water and we need some help. Me done lose over 1 million already,” the farmer said.