With flooding now a norm for some villages along East Coast of Demerara, many affected residents have resigned themselves to being under water for several more days.
More rain is projected and the Ministry of Agriculture said that the East Demerara Water Conservancy is at a “threatening level,” leaving communities vulnerable. Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud told Stabroek News that the severe flooding along the East Coast Demerara presents further evidence as to the importance of the Hope Canal, which government says will significantly reduce flooding in the area.
While the water in some of the communities such as Liliendaal, Annandale and Beehive saw a decrease yesterday, other villages remained under several inches.
Residents living off the Embankment Road in Good Hope were badly affected, but many of them said that this is a usual experience. A farmer, known as ‘Gosman,’ said his yard had been under water since Sunday. He has lost all his beds of pakchoy, celery, and lettuce due to the floodwaters. “Yesterday (Monday) I loss 10 Creole fowl and some of dem ducks and chicken ketching cramp,” the frustrated farmer told this newspaper.
He said that since losing his previous crops in a recent flood late last month, he had replanted but once again the floodwater has come and destroyed his crops. “Farmers need assistance because all the crop done,” the man said pointedly. He said the last time he lost crops, government officials took down his name and promised assistance but to date he has received nothing. “Every time you get this amount of rain, you does get flood,” he said, when asked how frequently such floods occur. He noted that since 2005, he has suffered almost every year from the effects of flooding.
Another badly affected Good Hope resident is Indira Bholaram, who described the flood as one of the worst she has experienced in recent years. Her house has been practically an island since Thursday, and she is not optimistic that her situation will improve anytime soon. Past experiences have taught her that her land will be under water for several more days.
According to her, early in 2000 or 2001, when Guyana Water Inc was laying a pipeline in the area, the workmen cut down all the trees that were nearby without asking or informing residents. She said that this served as a natural defence against water coming on to the land so easily from the trench. She said that the trees were important, especially given how low the land was.
For the second time in less than a month, Good Hope farmer Mahadeo Indal lost the majority of his crops. His yard and farmlands were under at least a foot and a half of water when this newspaper visited his home yesterday. He lost all of his crops during the flood late in February, but decided to plant again. He has now lost eight banks of ochro and 17 banks that contained pakchoy, mushrooms and lettuce.
Indal said that water would come from the trench behind his house and flow into his land. “Every time rain fall, this does happen,” he said. Some of the floodwater also entered his kitchen, which is located in the bottom flat of his home. However, relocation is not on his mind. “Where me gon go? Me born and grow here,” he said, adding that he was also employed at a neighbouring sugar estate.
In the meantime, he and other family members expect to remain inundated for at least another week. “If it don’t rain, the water might drain off in another week time,” the man’s daughter explained.
Bachelors Adventure was one of the worst-hit areas along the East Coast Demerara, when this newspaper visited yesterday. One resident, Roy Mc Donald, was spotted wading through almost knee-high water as he left his home to gain access to the main road. “Couple days now we like this,” the man said when approached. According to him, while his surroundings were flooded since Saturday, the water rose sharply on Monday.
The present flood, he said, is the worst he can remember in recent time. “Is a long time since I see the water cover the road,” he said, pointing to the main access road to the community. “The pump got to pump it out,” he said when asked what was the solution to get the water to drain off. It’s a drainage problem,” he added.
Another Bachelors Adventure resident admitted that he had resigned himself to being flooded out whenever it rains heavily. Drainage, he said, is a major problem in the area. “The one [drainage system] they got now isn’t great,” he opined. “Everywhere covered, all between the streets, everything covered,” he said about the state of his village. The man, who also does some farming, said he lost five ducks over the last two days due to the floodwater. “Two dead yesterday and three this morning,” he said. He added that the water has not drawn off significantly.
Asked if he ever considered relocating, he said: “Yes, but move to where? We grow up here. We want here to develop; we want a better pumping system.”
Over in Buxton, sections of the community remained under significant amounts of water, with some residents saying that the water level had increased overnight. According to Company Road resident Nicholas (only name given), the water in his yard had continued to rise yesterday morning. “Every month over the last three months we does get flood,” Nicholas said. He has been under water since late last week, with the water gradually rising whenever it rains. “Drainage is a problem here,” he said, while adding that more needed to be done if the problem is to be adequately addressed.
Thandi McCaddy, a resident of Webster Avenue, said that the water had increased due to more overnight rain. “The water higher… and it ain’t going anyway,” she said. Her mother, Patricia, lost six recently born piglets. Four piglets had died on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) had completed several initiatives around the country to help address the flooding along the East Coast of Demerara. According to a release, substantial work is being done along the East Coast. The release said that the revetment at Beehive is now 90 percent completed, while mechanical excavation is being undertaken at Turkeyen/Cummings Lodge, La Bonne Intention (LBI) west sideline and public road Lusignan.
