With little to no rainfall over the last 48 hours, floodwater which submerged villages in the Middle Mazaruni is receding, according to Region Seven Chairman Kenneth Williams.
Williams yesterday told Stabroek News that from reports received water levels have dropped by approximately 10 inches. Nonetheless, he said that water levels remain over 8 feet in some areas.
As a result of the high floodwater, operations at Issano, Pappy Show, Surinamo, Semang, Martin’s Landing, Apaika, Hymeraca and Tamakay have been affected.
A resident from Tamakay Landing had explained that 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.
In the Upper Mazaruni, the Chairman said supplies from the Civil Defence Commission were dispatched to affected villages last Wednesday. The indigenous communities are however still challenged by high water levels.
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 flooding has presented threats to the food and water supply in the affected communities. With excessively high water levels present in villages, some villagers have been forced to relocate to shelters.
Regional Councillor Keran Hastings had told this newspaper, the flooding had caught villagers off guard as this is usually a relatively manageable 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.
