Dear Editor,
Some four years ago, an earthen sea defence breach in my home village at Huis t’ Dieren in Region #2 was observed in its initial stage and it was promptly brought to the attention of the administration here for corrective measures to be taken
But since then and on to this day even with the flood of complaints ever so often to the relevant authorities the breach continues to get bigger with the cost for remedial works mounting all the time.
During a community meeting earlier in this year at Airy Hall Nursery School with Mr. Ali Baksh who now holds the position of Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture with the audience including Vice Chairman Mr. Vishnu Samaroo among other top officials from the Region, the issue of the breach was raised with an assurance from him that immediate steps would be taken to have it sealed.
For reasons best known to the administration, the promise still remains to be fulfilled after such a protracted period with the neglect to take positive action becoming increasingly baffling.
The size of the breach now stands no less than 20 feet wide and about 8 feet in depth with the flow of river water especially at high tides reaching alarming proportions
Due to the excessive flooding, several nearby farmers were unable to put their fields under rice cultivation with the lands just having to remain abandoned only to suffer losses through no fault of their own.
As the breach continues to deteriorate more floodwater is spreading out so much so that it has now reached as far as the main trench in the Pomona Scheme area.
From all indications the Administra-tion is waiting to see a major disaster and this is not good enough when a stitch in time can save nine and prevention is always better than cure.
Yours faithfully
Abdool Kamal
