Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud says the rainfall figure of 85 inches in the upper reaches of the Mahaica/Mahaicony Creeks put out by the Hydromet Service last week was inaccurate and represented the aggregate rainfall for two weeks.
In a release yesterday clarifying the issue, the Minister said that the average rainfall for the period was about 23 inches for the same locations. The Ministry’s clarification release came a day after Stabroek News had queried the figure with the ministry and asked for supporting information.
The figure of 85 inches was used in the flood alert that the Ministry issued on December 27 and repeated at the Minister’s press conference on the achievements of the Ministry for the year on the following day.
The Ministry of Agriculture on December 27 issued a flood alert for the upper reaches of the Mahaica and Mahaicony creeks. Some farms had already been submerged when Stabroek News visited the areas on the same day.
The December 27 release from the ministry, which came after this newspaper had sought a comment on flooding in the area, said its Hydromet Service had recorded close to 85 inches over the past two weeks in the upper reaches.
The release said that the figure was well above the normal level for the rainy season. The Stabroek News report of December 28 had pointed out that no further information had been provided on this rainfall figure or the collection stations it had been drawn from.
Questions have been raised in the past about the accuracy of cumulative rainfall figures provided during floods.
