Residents of Moraikobai in the Mahaicony Mission are happy that floodwaters which have been on their land for about two weeks have receded but they said that the flow of water in the creek is still blocked by two trees which fell in a mudslide last year.
They told this newspaper in a telephone interview yesterday that the floodwaters have caused some persons to lose their crops which consisted of plantains, cassava, pine and vegetables.
Some farmers were lucky to save their crops by “using shovel and fork” to build embankments and pumping the water out of their farms.
The residents said the rain has “eased up” in the mission while it continues to fall in other areas. They explained that Moraikobai is in a highland region and that when the water rises there it flows into the Mahaicony Creek.
With regards to the mudslide, they related that it had occurred on the turn at Devil Hole since last April, resulting in the creek becoming narrow.
Nazimul Nizam who operates a barge and pontoon service in the mission said that his vessel which is about 24 ft. wide can barely pass in that section. Besides, he said he transports up to 60 persons with their “load” and it poses a hazard for them.
The man pointed out that the mudslide is about one and half miles away from the Mahaicony Bridge. He said he is not sure if the authorities are aware of the situation because nothing has been done about it.
He said the water is low from Devil Hole towards the mouth of the river but is very high at the other end.
He stated, “This is a disaster waiting to happen; because of the negligence of the authorities persons could lose their lives. Why they going to dredge the mouth of the creek and the trees block the outfall?”
Meanwhile residents of Mahaicony Creek said that the water has dropped by about six inches and they are happy they have started to get relief from the flooding.
Over at Mahaica Creek, the residents said that the water level has dropped only by about half inch. Like the residents of Mahaicony Creek, they said their land would take a long time to dry out before they could get to farm again and were looking forward to any help they can get.