-President Ali tells flood-affected Black Bush Polder residents
-feed sent to stranded cattle; region gets additional pumps

MOMENTS after arriving in Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder (BBP), President Irfaan Ali assured residents that his focus is on immediate interventions which will save lives and ensure that residents have shelter and their livelihoods are secure.
The Head of State’s visit followed a fly-over of the entire flood-affected Region Six community and a visit to Kwakwani in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) which is under water as a result of recent heavy rainfall.
President Ali told the residents that these interventions are the same for all the flood-affected areas in the country.
“Our immediate response now is to secure lives [and] secure livelihoods to ensure people have food, ensure people have shelter and to ensure that health facilities respond to any disease you may have because of the flooding,” he said.

One of the immediate interventions made by the President for BPP was for 100 bags of feed to be taken into the backlands for the hundreds of animals that are affected by the flooding.
President Ali, who was in a no-nonsense mood when he landed at Port Mourant, charged officials of the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA) to find an immediate intervention to save the lives of the affected cattle.
The president said he saw several hundred heads of cattle stuck on a dam in the BBP backlands while a large number had already died.
“The animals are stuck in the middle of nowhere. I need a plan before I leave here and I am speaking about all the animals, not just those in Kookrite Savannah. We flew over and we flew low, so I can tell you they are stuck and have nothing,” he added.

GLDA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Dwight Waldron after consulting with his team and cattle farmers stated that they will take 100 bags of feed on specially fitted tractors to the animals to help preserve their lives. Additionally, the animals will be brought out in boats to an area called “cattle creek dam,” where they will be fed and will receive treatment.
The feed and four truckloads of antelope grass were subsequently taken to the animals.
Another immediate intervention identified by President Ali was the cleaning of internal drains. Residents had complained about the drains not being cleaned and as such, a contractor who was recently awarded a contract to do this work will be mobilised to start the cleaning from Sunday.
Further,Director of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) , Frederick Flatts, stated that the mobile pump which was recently installed at Adventure had experienced some mechanical issues, but these have been fixed. A second pump will be installed there to help drain the water into the Atlantic Ocean at a faster rate.

Meanwhile, President Ali made it clear that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) have several teams on the ground to conduct countrywide assessments so that recommendations can be made for long-term and other interventions pertaining to the livelihoods that are being affected by the flood.
“The situation is indeed quite a disaster; we have the opportunity to view it first-hand in a very comprehensive way, especially the savannah lands and the backlands and if the rain continues as is predicted, then it will be even worse. So our first intervention here is to save lives, save livelihoods, to get the water quickly off the land, to provide shelter and medical facilities. Those areas are the priorities right now,” he said.
President Ali noted that it is understandable that the farmers and residents are concerned about their livelihoods and how they will be able to return to their farms and livelihoods.

“Some farms are completely destroyed, some rice crops were able to harvest. These are issues that we will have to deal with and the CDC along with the Ministry of Agriculture, they are doing that assessment now and after that assessment then we will determine the level of intervention,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and regional officials were on the ground again on Saturday. They visited New Forest, Number 19 Village, Corentyne, Kilcoy/Chesney, Fyrish, Port Mourant, Whim, Bloomfield and Manchester.
The minister said revetment works to sluices will be carried out in the areas that he had visited. Further, pumps and machines were deployed to help drain the water to alleviate the situation.
At Manchester village, the minister committed to securing cleaning supplies for the residents.
In several flood-affected areas in the region, cash crops, cattle and livestock farmers have complained bitterly about their losses and the effect it will have on their livelihoods and futures. Minister Mustapha used the opportunity to assure the worried farmers that they will receive help.