Farmers living along the banks of the Mahaica Creek were yesterday counting numerous losses as water being released from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) flooded several farms in the area.
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said controlled release of excess water through the Maduni outlet at the EDWC and via the Land of Canaan, Kofi and Cunha outlets continued since the water levels in the conservancy had risen in recent days following heavy and persistent rainfall along the coast. The integrity of the dams of the EDWC were at stake, the ministry noted, while adding that water was being released in the savannah and should not have had an immediate impact on the level of water.
The water level was rising slowly yesterday when this newspaper visited communities along the Mahaica Creek and newly installed Region Five Chairman Bindrabhan Bisnauth told Stabroek News last evening that the situation remains a cause of concern.
He said he visited the Mahaica Creek area as well as the Mahaicony Creek, another area prone to flooding when the EDWC is being relieved of excess water, and he noted that water was still being released into the area last evening. Notwithstanding weather reports that the coastland experienced sunshine yesterday, he was not in a position to comment when the Maduni sluice would be closed.
A number of farms were under several inches of water in the Mahaica Creek when this newspaper visited yesterday and residents reported losing hundreds of roots of bora, peppers, tomatoes, ochro and plantain stems, among other cash crop plants.
Juliet Harrylall told Stabroek News from her Grass Hook, Mahaica Creek home that she and her husband spent several weeks toiling in their farms planting more than 5,000 roots of bora and several dozen plantain stems. According to her, the former were some two weeks away from being ready to be reaped when the water levels in the area rose two days ago. She said that all the plants were under water yesterday and she added that the water level rose sometime around 8 am yesterday and continued as she spoke to Stabroek News around lunch.
“As soon as the lock come off and it (conservancy) start blow… we know we losing,” Harrylall noted.
“If them been do something since when the rains been falling, to at least drain off the water from this area, we would at least be able to pick awe bora,” she added, suggesting that officials were slow to act.
Her husband noted angrily that the family was already poor. “Every time you look at the TV you seeing how much tax the government collect on thing like fertilizer but is we who losing,” he said, while pointing out that he had invested monies in several bags at $8,500 each while some $20,000 was spent on spraying the plants.
“So wah them want me to do? We a poor people and right now is either you believe it or leave it,” the man declared.
The family also reared goats and Harrylall related that two of the animals had died as a result of being exposed to the floodwaters while another is gravely ill.
Measly
Further up the creek, farmer Kuldeo noted that some 2,000 roots of bora, which were two to three weeks old were under water yesterday. The man’s wife related that she and her husband grew up in the Mahaica Creek and to relocate from the area would be difficult.
She said that the family was offered housing at the Hope Estate further down the East Coast of Demerara but added that it was also inundated. “Them want move we from here but to go by Hope wouldn’t pay because we have to start all over again and the place flood soon as rain fall,” she added.
She said that when the Lama and Maduni outlets were opened in March last year, the family suffered huge losses since their plants and fertilized soil were flooded for several days. She further added that each farming household received “a measly $50 000 and you tell me what that can do for any farmer.”
Another farmer, Chubraj Ramdeen, gazed at his cash crop farm hopelessly as he and his three sons and wife collected more than 500 tomatoes that they managed to save from the flood waters. According to Ramdeen, had he not raised the level of two dams bordering his main planting area, he would have suffered greater losses.
The Ramdeens also planted some 900 sweet pepper plants, 800 hot pepper plants and more than 500 squash plants and the farmer related that all the plants were destroyed by the rising waters on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, Bisnauth said that the lives of several head of cattle as well as other livestock were being threatened by the floodwaters in the Mahaicony Creek. He said that he visited several communities, including Gordon Table, Pine Ground and Mora Point and he added that he would be visiting those areas as well as others until the situation improves.
Residents living at communities along the banks of the Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks have been threatened over the years whenever the EDWC neared its full supply after heavy rainfall and authorities were forced to release water. The Agriculture Ministry noted yesterday that it will continue to monitor the level of the EDWC and other water conservancies around the country.
Works are currently progressing on the Hope Canal, which the government is banking on as a relief channel for the EDWC.
