…to avoid ‘major catastrophe’
High levels of water in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) has forced its management to release water through the Maduni Sluice into the Mahaica Creek “as a last resort to avoid a major catastrophe”, the EDWC Commission said yesterday.
In a press release, the Commission said that on Saturday evening, at low tide, the discharge of water through the sluice commenced as the conservancy was nearing its full capacity and there was a threat to the integrity of the dam. It said that the discharge through the Maduni will last for a 24-hour period and will only take place during the low tide so as to have minimum impact on the residents who live in the upper reaches of the Mahaica River. The release into the Maduni is likely to aggravate flooding in both the Mahaica and Mahaicony creeks.
Farmers in both creeks had alleged on Saturday that water was being released through the Maduni since Friday or even earlier. Some had then videoed the release of water through the Maduni as evidence to present to the public. Up to Saturday there had been no word from the Ministry of Agriculture or the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) of the release. Farmers have said that they should be told immediately and not a day later.
Farmers in the Mahaica/Mahaicony Creek areas have already been flooded and have blamed this on the release of water from the conservancy. Residents told this newspaper that the water level in the Mahaica Creek rose about three inches yesterday.
According to one man, he had called the Agriculture Ministry but had been told that the Maduni outlet had not been opened and were that action taken, they would have been notified. He said that he was assured that the sluice would not have been opened and the Minster of Agriculture would visit the area to make an assessment today. Contending that it had been opened before Saturday, the man said that had they had been told beforehand, they could have taken some preventative measures to save some crops but once they noticed that the Maduni sluice had been opened “everybody just give up”.
When contacted on the opening of the Maduni sluice, before the press release was issued yesterday by the EDWC commission, Chief Executive Officer of the NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth said that he was not in a position to make a comment on the situation.
Meantime, the EDWC release said that the EDWC Commission is taking all precautions to ensure that the discharge does not acutely aggravate an already rising Mahaica Creek, due to the historic level of rainfall along the coast and in areas which flow into the various creeks and rivers. It noted that on Friday, the Commission had indicated that the level of the Conservancy has been rising to a threatening level and it may necessitate a release of water through the discharge outlet that leads into the Atlantic Ocean and residents in the upper reaches of Mahaica/Mahaicony Creek were advised to be alert and take necessary precautions.
The statement said that the Conservancy continues to be drained through the outlets at Land of Canaan, Kofi and Cunha, which drain into the Demerara River and this will be maximized so as to prevent the prolonged use of the Maduni outlet. It added that in anticipation of the above normal rainfall, the management of the conservancy had significantly reduced the level of the conservancy during the last dry spell to increase its storage capacity. Further, the statement said, several internal waterways were cleared to improve drainage and storage within the conservancy and other works undertaken.
Meantime, the release said that in addition to the 32 monitoring staff of the EDWC an additional 50 persons were employed to enhance monitoring during the rainy periods. EDWC’s management will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure there are no breaches or overtopping of the conservancy dam, the statement said.
This is the third time in four years that the EDWC commission has been forced to release water into the Mahaica Creek flooding farmers in the two creeks. In 2005 the EDWC was thought to be the main factor behind the catastrophic Great Flood and ever since the authorities have been paying careful attention to its levels. In 2006 water had to be released again to avoid a failure of its fragile dam and this led to prolonged flooding in the creek. There was no declared release in 2007.
I have never seen this level of flooding in Guyana during the period Of the PNC rule in Guyana i guess they had a plan that worked for the affected areas even though they were said by some to be no good during the 28 years they were in power.
Think – did Guyana have this level of rainfall?
CFO mis management, ineptness, corrput practices and a bunch of square pegs running the show is the answer to the flooding.
Come “hell” or “high water” this would never have happened during the Burnham Administration.
Kaieteur Gold, it used to happen in Berbice. RHT flood out in the 70s. But we never had SN and KN and cell phone and Internet and blogging and instant messaging then.
The country was crass then , Rain nerer used to fall fooooooooooool.
bai you killing me with laff……….. lol
“country was crass”……..ahahahaha oooh my!
I can safely say that the same people in Mahaica will continue to vote for the current administration. Watch and see the next election, they never learn so they have to punish – sorry…….
The Gov are the experts, why does Robert MBA Persaud have to access the situation and pass instructions, what does he know about agricuture, drainage etc?
Common guys lets the professionals do their job.
… i have tried to bring this out ,,much like u do here in this very same forum ,, and SN ,, or de “axer” seem to be afraid of the Hon.Min.of agri,, to the point that when i ask the very same ??????s abt him ,, they never see the light of day !I still hold a Gy p/port ,, pay taxes ,, and support the economy ,, and to put it over the top my passion is my birth love of which we r 1% of the largest watershed on the planet ,, key words “largest watershed” ! as if that is not enough ,, then add this “on the planet”
how yuh want um in a glass,,cup ar mug ? we gat mo’ dan mene
kno wah fuh duh wid am ! water annyone ????????????
Raymond…Do you know Guyana Politics? Is there any other party that you can recommend to them to vote for? I am not sure how can any government save the coastal areas of Guyana from flooding with these intense rainfall…The rainfall is more intense now than in the PNC time or back in the 80s..People live in a basin, between the Conservancy and the Sea, how can any Government of your choice avoid this flood and name me one country in the world after these high intensity rainfall that does get some degree of flooding.Let me make it clear to you that your wish for Guyanese to punish will return to haunt you, because they are progressive people regardless which part of the world they end up.
Re: “[...Raymond…Do you know Guyana Politics? Is there any other party that you can recommend to them to vote for? I am not sure how can any government save the coastal areas of Guyana from flooding with these intense rainfall…The rainfall is more intense now than in the PNC time or back in the 80s..People live in a basin, between the Conservancy and the Sea, how can any Government of your choice avoid this flood and name me one country in the world after these high intensity rainfall that does get some degree of flooding...]” There is a solution like more Water Proof Concrete Walls/Dams on more Water Proof Concrete Walls/Dams and more “High-Efficiency Pumps” on more “High-Efficiency Pumps”; and, one does not have to be a rocket scientist to do this. And, Are you saying that rain will be falling the entire year round at this intensity???. Get real.
the border that separates us from brazil is an imaginary line ,, that does not stop the water at our border from flooding “here” because it is too much to stay “there”…. 1% of GUYANA is in the “amazon basin”
the sands from the Sahara ,, blows westward ! the dust that rises and is blown westward ,picks up the salt from the moisture of the ocean that is made from the SUN’s heat ,, the north east trade winds blow some of that salt and dust clouds inland to the freezing altitudes of the Andes ! adding to the build up of clouds is the humidity from an area the size of the USA minus california and texas ,,, now with us being 1% of the Amazon Basin it makes clear to at least have a handle to the dyanmics in the equation of the landscape to which we belong !
the first “reasoning” to contemplate is where we r in relation to the landscape,, failing this ,, the results is detrmental to all who habitate on the “rim” of the basin ! oh ! and just so it’s understood the Amzon river,, the Andes,, nor the rain forest — i can’t say this enough — is not going anywhere soon ,, water anyone ??????????????
Imaginary line? … OK OK … The Sierra Acaria mountain range is an imaginary line… The Sierra Acaria mountain range is an imaginary line… The Sierra Acaria mountain range is an imaginary line…The Sierr Acaria mountain range is an imaginary line… Dam it! It’s still there…Oh I have to say it 1 billions times…During which geological erosion will surely make it imaginary… Here goes… The Sierra Acaria mountain range is an imaginary line… The Sierra …………….
The line that seperates Brazil and Guyana, is called a geographical teritorial boundry.
I only know of one gegraphical imaginary line, that is the “equator” around the globe.
All other lines, are optical-survey-vieuws.
BREAKING NEWS! USA MIDWEST FLOODING! that was one of the headlines today on cnn. residents who have not been flooded out yet are furiously sandbagging to save their homes. this happens year after year in the midwest usa when the snows melt. are the authorities in the good old usa incompetent to allow this to happen year after year of are some things just beyond peoples’ control?
…quibian if ,, i did not say happy holidays to u personally ,, it was not meant as a sleight ! i am too sensitively involved with an intensity ,, that if ,, i was ever
a case for hypertension ,, i would either be dead or suffering from a stroke that will take me to the ultimate ! thank fate it’s not so ,, those here who suffer each year ,, are much like those in GY ,, if it’s lost on u ,,, then try to always remember that people is the same anywhere else on the planet ,, be them black,, white or one of the many hues of the spectrum ! but ,, not so fast my friend ,, lots of them is waking up ,, to this constant ,, how i know ,, check how many who were forced to leave b4 and after katrina has returned ,,
so too is the affluent in california ,, where they pay the price for their stupidity ! as is the case in Gy ,, the masses is ignorant of the complexity of what ails them ,, and much worse than they is the govt ,, the opposition ,, the D&I,, WB IADB ECLAC ,, and more ! since when is finding the source that is causing pain “rocket science” ??????? and after finding that “source” would one not act to STOP it ????????????
Reply to Bad News.
There was no flooding in Burnham days because he had qualified engineers working in the Hydraulics Division.
Today you have a lot of unqualified employed as engineers and everybody in the PPP is an engineer.
Thanks be to our God the Almighty that I am not of the PPP political party as an Engineer in Guyana.
I am a PPP well but my PPP is “Peace, Progress and Prosperity” to which I extend to fellow humans all over the world in the coming New-Year, 2009.
We also never had SN and KN and TV and Internet and cell phone etc…
“the conservancy was nearing its full capacity and there was a threat to the integrity of the dam.”
This admission is a clear indication of the gross ineptitude that has replaced wise governance in Guyana!There should be no equating our flooding to what is happening in USA.
What happened to the multiple millions spent recently on rehabilitation? What excuses our leaders have for abandoning parts 2 and 3 of the MMA Scheme? That scheme properly executed was intended to maximise water control capacity and to increase the acreage of arable lands in that part of Guyana.
Surely this government must have learnt long ago that EDWC was designed decades ago for conditions that require capacity more that 3-times the current capacity. We need a dynamic approach to our water control challenges alongside forward looking agriculture infrastructure initiatives.Our problems in this sector is basically locked into an approach of “too little too late” strategy. Our farmers will always pay the price for the laid back attitude of our political directorate.
PPP engineer: p = h x s x g
PNC engineer: p = s x h x g
PPP engineer: Is wha’ kind stupidness you ta’kin’?
PNC engineer: Is you ta’king stupidness!
Amazing, how politics and ‘race’ can make sensible people disbelieve the commutative law for multiplication…
Mr. Balgobind
Our dear friend means that “political-PPPs’” wants to be ALL, (including as ingineers too) like president b.j. being the minister of ALL.
I am trying to scann you a pictographic (ingineering) design of my outlined proposals “Hydrological FUNNEL water irrigation”, which will be undertaken on behalf of my Caribbean Outlook Foundation, Inc.(Guyana’s Affiliates) by the EU.
Can you please furnish me your E-mail:- Mijn is:- s.motilall@vodafonevast.nl
I will need much comments on my proposed project, so that I can eradicate and emulate a very sustainable design and construction, in the advent of saving our Guyana from flooding. Thank you.