Food and water are now in great demand as communities in the Upper and Middle Mazaruni continue to battle devastating flooding as a result of torrential rain over the last week.
Region Seven Chairman Kenneth Williams yesterday told Stabroek News the situation is severe in the Middle Mazaruni with businesses suffering millions of dollars in losses. From a visit concluded on Saturday night, Williams explained that many shops in the mining district have been inundated.
“From what I have seen in the Middle Mazaruni it is millions and millions in losses for the shop owners. I did not get to go up to the Upper Mazaruni area but communities there are flooded as well,” he explained.
He stated that shop owners are severely impacted as this is the second time in approximately 18 months they are facing losses.
At Pappy Show Landing, eight businesses are flooded with water levels at 8 to10 feet, Williams had previously stated. There is a similar situation at Tamakay Landing and Martin Landing, where four businesses are inundated while at Apaique Landing, 15 businesses are affected.
“The surging floodwaters have returned with fury and vengeance. Many residents and more particularly businessmen are again facing another season of huge losses and deprivation…Many businesses at Issano, Pappy Show, Surinamo, Semang, Martin’s Landing, Apaika, Hymeraca and Tamakay are facing financial ruin because of the floodwaters that have invaded their premises”, Williams said in a social media post.
In 2021, flooding in June left many persons including farmers counting their losses. That flood in Cuyuni/Mazaruni impacted food production and it is likely there will be a recurrence.
Before the end of the week, Williams noted that they will be coordinating with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to distribute hampers along with sanitation and hygiene supplies to affected persons.
Communities such as Jawalla, Kamarang, Karo, Quebenang, Kangaruma, Waramadong and Phillipai in the Upper Mazaruni are all experiencing flooding at different levels. Farmlands in the indigenous communities are completely waterlogged. The CDC said that it is continuously monitoring rising water levels at Eteringbang and Arau Villages.
Regional Councillor Keran Hastings in a telephone interview told Stabroek News that many farmlands are flooded and some villagers have been forced to relocate to shelters.
Hastings said the water levels are relatively high putting all communities in the Upper Mazaruni district at risk. He noted that with the rains continuing water levels are likely rise and they will have to brace themselves for deeper flooding.
Currently, he explained that moving around even in one’s yard requires the use of canoes.
In this vein, the regional councillor said communities will be in need of water and food supplies as their farms are flooded.
“As it is right now it is not safe to consume any water around the area because all the mining camps and latrines are overflowing. This is another flooding that will affect us greatly,” Hastings, who resides at Karo said.
He went on to state that the flooding has caught villagers off guard as this is usually a relatively dry period for them.
The May/June period is when they usually prepare for intensive rainfall but this is the first time in years they have experienced steady rainfall in December.
“We got caught off-guard. Nobody expected so much rains now because it doesn’t fall like this. We expected this rain in May/June but it didn’t fall so heavy then so it is like now we are getting all the rains… a week ago we noticed the water level rising,” he explained.
Kamarang’s Toshao Lemuel Thomas related that several homes in his village have been flooded and families have relocated to public shelters in the village. Thomas stated that while the water level has not reached that of 2021 it is relatively high in the villages.
A resident from Tamakay Landing in a video shared by Williams said persons had to move to the foot of the hill to find a dry spot.
“We don’t have any dry land here we need to use a boat to move people to get to the dry parts. All the shops flood out and everybody need help right not. It is very stressful for us because it is the second time in a year we getting flood like this,” the man bemoaned while standing in waist-high water.
