-cattle still trapped in Cookrite Savannah

RESIDENTS of Babu Jaan in Port Mourant and the Whim/Bloomfield area have received food hampers from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and many are hoping that with the ease in rainfall, the floodwaters will completely recede. Babu Jaan has knee-high water in some parts. Many residents have suffered losses which include livestock, crops, household appliances and furniture. The Guyana Chronicle was told that with the two-inch reduction in the level of water in the community, residents are optimistic that without any heavy rainfall, their situation will improve. Approximately 800 hampers were distributed by regional officials on Wednesday. Regional Chairman, David Armogan, disclosed that about 8000 hampers are needed for the region and he has already made this request. The riverine communities of Baracara and Akura in the Canje Creek will be getting flood-relief hampers on Friday and other affected communities in the region will receive theirs in the ensuing days once they become available. Armogan, Vice-Chairman, Zamal Hussain, and Regional Executive Officer (REO), Narendra Person, led the distribution exercise.

WATER RECEDING

Little or no rainfall from Tuesday to Wednesday evening and the use of rice-field-type pumps during high tides, have seen the water going down in most areas across the region. “We are making interventions where necessary and we are hiring more pumps even. If we don’t have these big mobile pumps, we are hiring rice field pumps to make sure we can pump the water out. In some areas we are giving people who have their own facility for pumping; we are giving them fuel to assist, especially in the Black Bush area we have been giving them fuel to get the water off the land,” the regional chairman said. The additional pumps have supplemented the mobile and fixed pumps that were already in operation.

Armogan added: “We have also hired quite a number of machines over the last day or two to make sure [that] if there are breaches in any part of the region, we are trying to seal those breaches and also clear any vegetation in the trenches. We have had reports across the region of the interventions working. BPP for example, this morning has reported two inches of drop; Chesney has seen a drop in the water level and this area here Babu Jaan was much higher. At Bloomfield the water has dropped and most places is the same thing and of course because we have better weather today. Hopefully if the weather holds, we can see more relief faster.”

Meanwhile, the chairman has noted that the animals in Cookrite Savannah are still in grave danger. He explained that the animals are being taken care of by the Guyana Livestock and Development Agency (GLDA) and were moved to higher ground but the area is still muddy and many animals have died. In addition to feed and grass being taken to the animals, the GLDA team is also providing veterinary services. Armogan explained there is a high level of the water in the savannah and dry lands are unavailable.

Region Six, like most of the regions across Guyana, has been flooded as a result of high intensity rainfall. The President and Cabinet have been fanning out across the country and making interventions to bring immediate relief to the affected residents. An assessment of the damage incurred to crops and livestock is also being conducted in the region so that a decision can be made at the level of cabinet, as to the form of assistance that could be provided when the water recedes. In the interim, residents have been given food and sanitation hampers.