– Ituni, Kwakwani still looking for relief
Floodwaters in some Upper Demerara areas were receding yesterday and residents in the communities of Kwakwani and Ituni were hoping for a change in the weather pattern.
Persons in the area told Stabroek News yesterday that floodwaters were receding in certain parts of Upper Demerara, while areas such as Kwakwani remained under water. However, the rains had eased yesterday and residents were praying for the water to drain out of the area.
Denny August told this newspaper yesterday that the water level around the Kwakwani Park area was receding yesterday, adding that a few inches of water had drained off his water-logged surroundings.
He said the area experienced a few scattered periods of rainfall yesterday but they were light passing showers.
Regional officials told Stabroek News that Public Works officials were working feverishly to fix the impassable section of the roadway linking Linden to Kwakwani and the eroded section was being repaired to restore road traffic.
Ituni residents told this newspaper yesterday that while the road remained impassable, water which had accumulated in the damaged section of the trail was draining out. Boats, which had been ferrying passengers travelling out of the area to the coast, were still operating along the broken parts of the road yesterday, and persons said that as much as 10 feet of water was still lodged along the thoroughfare. The affected area is located some 6 miles from Ituni along the one hour journey to Kwakwani.
Farmers remained stranded in the backdam areas with their produce because of the ongoing situation, Dwayne Wilson a logger from Ituni said yesterday.
He said that the rains had eased over the weekend but the community remained prepared for the worse and according to him economic activities in the area have been at a standstill over the past week.
He reiterated that Ituni depended heavily on logging activities and the situation has put the community at a disadvantage.
Residents in the Upper Demerara area have seen several inches of floodwater over the past several weeks, the result of heavy downpours.
Residents were urged by the Agriculture Ministry to be alert as the rains are expected to continue through the end of this month and the agency has mandated the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to undertake work programmes to assess and implement solutions to bring relief to residents.
At the same time health teams have been dispatched to the area, while Works Ministry officials as well as the Civil Defence Commis-sion (CDC) have been monitoring the situation.
