– but Dochfour residents not optimistic
The Ministry of Agriculture has dismissed a koker operator owing to negligence in the discharge of his duties and said efforts are being made to have the Hope koker up and running, but Dochfour residents doubt this will get rid of the inches of water flooding their lives with misery and frustration.
Dochfour still under inches of stagnant water yesterday. (Photo by Jules Gibson)
Conditions in the area were the same, but when Stabroek News visited the area yesterday residents could be seen moving about as best they could in an attempt to bring some normalcy back into their lives.
“They been digging out the channel by the Hope koker but it still won’t work,” Rahaman Samad said, explaining, “they been digging it from a east to west direction which ain’t going to work…we suggest other methods but no one listening to us.”
Efforts made yesterday to contact Regional Chairman of Region Four (Demerara/ Mahaica) Clement Corlette about the Hope koker issue were futile.
This farmer feeding his sheep whatever little grass he could find in the flooded area. (Photo by Jules Gibson)
Residents had told this newspaper on Sunday that the Hope koker is the main drainage structure for the area but it has been silted up for several months now. A visit to the koker then revealed that its door was open but the water appeared stagnant. A pump that was stationed there was not in operation at the time and it was explained that when the koker was open, the pump could not be turned on.
In a press release yesterday the Ministry of Agriculture said a National Drainage and Irrigation pontoon was “redeployed to the Hope Outfall to excavate the channel due to heavy siltation that is affecting the operation of the sluice”.
Further, the ministry once again stated that its Crops and Livestock Department has continued its “intense monitoring” and provided technical assistance to farmers and yesterday teams visited the communities of Unity/ Lancaster, Greenfield/Bee Hive, Annandale/Dochfour, Buxton/Vigilance and Bachelors Adventure/ Enterprise/ Paradise.
Farmers in affected areas who are desirous of assistance are urged to contact the officers assigned along the East Coast. Dr. T. Meghoo (622-8264) and Dr. O. Dutson (651-9873).
President Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference on Saturday at State House had said that government continues to make interventions to enhance drainage in the light of the severe rainfall and at present there are about 50 pumps and 12 excavators working on the East Coast Demerara, twice as much as were working in 2005 when a similar amount of rainfall was experienced.
Clement Corlette should resign in his shame at the suffering of his people and because of the incompetence of the contractor who should have been responsible for clearing the koker.
Then again he is JUST A POLITICIAN so he will probably kiss a few babies and continue as normal…
satish do not hold back, say your mind it is the only way the world and guyanes will feel our suport , suport dose not necessary constitute monetary gifts but the gift of knoledge too, if we do not educate our brothers and sisters then they will live in darkness, do remember it is always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. GUYANESE CAME A LONG WAY AND WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A LIGHT BURNING TO SHOW US OUR WAY WE HAVE UNITY BLACK AND WHITE WE ARE KIND HEARTED WE HAVE ETIQUET,AND WE LOVE EACH OTHER WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE THE POLITICANS SHOULD KNOW THIS.
BY THE WAY SAT I WAS BORN BRITS GOD SAVE THE QUEEN (OR CROWN)
Satish..I am saying all the while that this regional chairman should take a fair share of this blame, this man still sleeping and I understand this chairman returns money every year given to the region for these works.
This is Guyana man,the politician don’t kiss babies,they kiss BEHINDS!
Give the poor man back his job, and let us not make scapegoats out of the innocent.
Let’s start throwing some waterlogged boots at the idiotic adminstrators that allowed this avoidable mess to take place, I’ll even donate a pair of boots for the purpose.
Joe.
…change, change, and more change. Only then we will get results.The core of the problem is the adminstritation, and the don’t want toadmit it. The Drainage and Irrigation system in Guyana was always tosted around. Rice farming was done for a very long time with mears with out government help. It has gotten worse with this PPP government.
….with your advise joe I hope you can effect or bring change to the way the PPP insiders and big Jag thinks. Obama diversified his entire new home with nearly or close to all the faces of America. Guyana only have seven, and 750,000 and still can get it right. Joe you don’t see something is wrong with this country….If water was to flood the whole of Water Street, and Camp Street for the next two weeks who will the adminstration dismiss?….they will soon bite on themself….!
Joe….you have to throw them ‘water logged boots’ yuhself…:)
There is no-one in guyana to honestly take care of that country. People who live there fed-up with their situation…floods, theiving, bribery, murder etc. It’s a no-win situation.
Someone suggested (I think it might be you) that the population needs to relocate from the coast further in-land. I believe this to be true…..Brasil did it years ago when they built Brazilia in the heartland. BUT….that only take care of the flooding. Same thiefman, bribeman, murderman, lie-man, con-man moving too in-land….same ole, same ole.
JOE READ MY BLOGS, THIS IS THE FALL GUY WHAT A COUNTRY A POOR LABOURER TAKES THE BLAME FOR ALL THE BAD GUYS (THINK RUSSIAN REMEMBER) WHAT A SHAME I READ MOST OF YOUR BLOGS IF I REMEMBER WELL GUYANA DO HAVE GUYS THAT CAN FIX THIS WATER PROBLEM FOR THEM. THEY HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE OLD ENGINEERING PLANS, LANDS AND SURVEY WILL HAVE THEM. THESE GUYS WANTS EVERYTHING LIKE THANKS GIVING ON A PLATTER, THEY FORGOT THE OLD DAYS NO PAIN NO GAIN. THIS GUY WAS DOING SO WELL I THOUGHT HE WAS THE MAN BUT LIKE CLINT SAID MAN GOT HIS LIMITS I THINK THAT THIS IS JAG AND HIS MERRYMEN LAST RUN THEY FAILED HIM, A GOVT IS NOT ONE PERSON BUT HE HAS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.
Instead of throwing the boots, how about wearing them to kick some REAR ENDS?
I like that Joe,Lol!!!
Exactly why take the man’s job? The Govt is to blame for all this mess. The drainage in all the poor areas are a mess and in the black areas worse.
The poor koker operators are not the real reason for the situation…even if he had been attentive in the carrying out of his duties. The system of kokers and canals is not the most efficient given the new rainfall patterns, housing expansion, etc. There has to be a much faster way of getting the water off the land. At all outfalls pums must be installed and fitted with automatic switches to come on when the water gets to a predetermined level.
But it is every year a koker operator does get fired…same old tune,,I am fedup,,,we are just going around in circles…
hey why did you guys put the blame on a small man who can’t defend himself this is what you call the fall guy. Mr Jagdeo do keep the spirit of christmas let this poor labourer keep his job. Merry christmas to you and your family mr president may the may blessings of the gods shine their lights for you and yourfamily always.
One resident said that they digging from east to west and it won’t work and they said they told them where needs to be dug but they wont listen, i guess the people know more than the administration. And whey fire the koker operator,and what is it when they say the cannal has to be desilted can anyone explain.
Even if the koker operator was jesus christ heself even he won’t able to mek de water drain moe fast.
At least Jesus would a open it when tide fall.
and he woulda had to do the moses trick and part the sling mud and silt!
You’re quite a number M.X Q-B-H. Better yet give him some of Joe’s grass and let him make bricks. I luv your comment!
Why not fire the supervisors and go up the chain of command doing the same. The bosses do not supervise employees or check on structures that they are responsible for. Sometimes we want to blame the small man, but those in the highest of offices are guilty of the same. The President, the Prime Minister and the Mayor went to work everyday and totally ignored Durban Park with it’s high weeds, trash and clogged drains. And during the crime wave the opposition party was blamed when they knew who were the perpetrators were. Should they all be terminated? I think so.
wait wait… y was the operator dismissed? look as i may, i can’t c the reason! if the people said the canal was silted up for several months now, how can this be the operator’s fault? the report said the koker was opened when the admin visited so what gives?
Guyana is a beautiful country but its backward system of management is keeping it light years behind the rest of the world. How can a poor koker attendant be responsible for the flooding when all the articles on the issuse so far have stated that the outfall needed desilting? Does this attendant own an excavator to clear the channel? Its time these highly paid government administrators do their jobs or be fired.
Secondly, with the coastal plain being the nerve centre of Guyanese life and the knowledge that its below sea level, why can’t the government invest in modernised methods of drainage. Its time for us to invest in electrical pumps in order to keep the coast from constant flooding. With the adent of global warming and higher sea levels, the future seems bleak for Guyanese living in this region.
Simple he musy getting paid to open the Koker and call the pump operator and he musy aint do them 2 things hahahaha
Where will the electricity come from? Anyway even if they install electrical pumps with GPL supplying power they will need a fire station at every pump!!!!
Are you kidding me?! I bet this person will get back his job in a few weeks. It’s a game the authorities usually play.
Yes Big Jag will come tomorrow and give him back his job! Good cop, bad cop. Look good let GY sink! The bossman should fire the guy who fired the attendant.