Agri minister urges regional officials to be vigilant
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has said that heavy rainfall is straining the drainage systems, pointing to an accumulation of around nine inches of water in a 12-hour period, and he is pressing regional officials to remain vigilant.
Speaking at a meeting yesterday to deal with issues related to high intensity rainfall, he said that approximately 100 persons were managing the system at the East Demerara Water Conservancy while at the Boerasirie Conservancy in Region Three the lower sections of the conservancy’s banks were being raised.
Persaud said that water was receding in some areas but others remain swamped as the rain has been shifting to other areas such as Regions Two, Six and Ten, and he called on regional officials present at the meeting to be prepared for some 50-70 percent above normal rainfall as forecast, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported yesterday.
Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation (NDIA) board, Walter Willis, disclosed that that the NDIA has been reactivating sluices that were never cleared and opened for many years. Willis explained that works were being carried out at De Kinderen and Cottage in order that gravity drainage could be increased.
Regional updates on what has been happening across the country were provided yesterday to Persaud with many regions reporting reductions in areas with accumulated water.
Region Two Chairman, Ali Baksh noted that they had to source extra pumps, but reported that the situation has improved while Region Three has reported that water has receded in the affected areas except in the Canals Polder and Pouderoyen- a new pump is to be installed in the mainly agricultural area of Canal Number Two Polder.
The situation was describ-ed as favourable in Region Four, as dredging was done at Golden Grove, Greenfield and Hope. Regional Executive Officer, Region Five, Floyd France said that the region experienced some rainfall Monday evening, but it was not significant. He noted that a broken sluice door at Ithaca was being repaired.
According to Region Six Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha, accumulated water at Number 47 village had receded and that excavators are clearing outfall channels at Letter Kenny, Whim, Bush Lot and Wellington.
In Region Nine, the water in the creeks has risen slightly and this has affected access to far flung areas. Regions One and Ten reported that they have not been affected by the current heavy rainfall.
