The farmers are not going to be happy

Mar 16, 2011 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Considering what is taking place in Japan where thousands have lost their lives, homes and their livelihoods, and millions more are living precariously under the threat of a nuclear meltdown in a country with terrifying memories of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, we here in Guyana can count ourselves fortunate that the heavy rainfall over the past two weeks has not left us in a worse situation.
We can count ourselves fortunate that there has been a general improvement, and significant one, with respect to the run-off of water off the land. A few years ago, the high level of precipitation that we are experiencing at the moment would have left large parts of the coast under water and resulted in great economic losses.
Well we should not count ourselves lucky because yesterday the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority advised the nation that it will be forced, as of yesterday afternoon, to release water through the Lama and Maduni sluices. With rice and other crops still to be reaped, the losses will be huge for the farmers in the area.
But it is not unlike situations of the past, a situation from which there is no return. Rice prices are on the rise globally, and even if there are heavy losses this crop – the greater part of the crop is still likely to be harvested despite the difficult conditions – there will be an incentive for farmers to go back to the land come the second crop, since by then, rice prices would have further increased.
The government is also expected to come to the rescue of farmers by providing seed capital, literally, for them to resume operations.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been very active with the farming community, and is therefore very much prepared for the situation which now faces the farming sector as a result of the unceasing rains that have descended upon the
country over the past two weeks.
Despite the favourable prospects, there is likely to be some apprehension and great deal of anger as a result of the release of water from the conservancy into the Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks. If you are at the receiving end of the release of water from the conservancy, there is not much understanding that will be shown for the fact that your means of livelihood have to go under in order to save the rest of the population. But this is how it has been for the past six years when waters have had to be released to reduce the pressure on the conservancy dam.
There is going to be a great deal of debating as to whether things could have been different.
They could not. In fact, it is to the credit of the administration that this release did not take place earlier last week when the water levels were also high in the conservancy after heavy rains.
There was a brief break, but too short for the level to be significantly reduced, and this is not a problem with the storage capacity of the conservancy. It is a problem with the water that is coming from the backlands, and this is the real problem that needs to be investigated. Why is there so much water coming from the backlands?
The government has been continuously maintaining the conservancy, but it will take years for the storage capacity to be significantly increased, and it will cost billions.
The rains are simply too much for the system, and despite the fact that the government had six years to put measures in place, this is easier said than done. The Hope Canal is still at least two years in the making. And given the amount of rain that is descending on the country as a result of climatic changes, it is likely that there will remain a threat of overtopping while the Hope outfall is being completed.
In Japan there is a greater threat. First it was struck by its strongest earthquake. Ten minutes later a deadly tsunami struck, followed hours later by problems with a nuclear reactor that is threatening a meltdown. Now that is problems. And to think we are complaining about the release from the conservancy.

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The farmers are not going to be happy

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