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Versailles koker breach causes discomfort
Breach of Versailles Koker
With incessant rainfall that caused flash floods and breach to several kokers across the country, residences of Versailles/London Park, West Bank Demerara, are now counting their losses.
Yesterday, six irritated residents of the said community voiced their frustration over the situation.
Yvonne Parbahudin, who had lost thousands of dollars worth in household articles due to the breach, said that she is fed up with the situation they are forced to inhabit in.
Parbahudin added that during September last year, the river-water had overtopped the sea defence and contractors came from some Ministry and did some “flimsy” work to the said defence.
Kaieteur News understands that the part of the koker which was broken is yet to be repaired. Residents added that the RDC contract-workers placed several mud-filled bags along the defence and went away.
Now as Guyana is experiencing rainy weather, the river is swelling. This caused flood waters to reach a height of three feet accumulating in most if not all of the houses in the Versailles/London Park environs.
According to a resident who had suffered losses to her poultry, the water started to overtop the koker during the morning of Saturday. Before anyone knew what was happening, their yards and houses were underwater.
Mortley Mc Rae, who was also affected by the breach, avowed that the he cannot comprehend why the workers will build up an area on the sea dam which was never breached and left the affected part.
“It makes no sense they come and build up an area on the sea dam which was never damaged and left the part that needed much repair, just because they have de money they doing all kind of irrelevant work.”
Mc Rae who is a concrete block builder, told Kaieteur News that he recently purchased several truck loads of sand and the flood water came and wash away “everything”. He is questioning who will reimburse him the thousands of dollars he spent to purchase the sands.
In a telephone interview with the village overseer, Cheryl Dover, she related that workers attached to the Ministry of Public Works had visited the said koker some time last year during the spring tide and did some rectification work but was prevented from completing it because the fishermen were reluctant to remove several walk ways that were constructed at the koker. During that time the rain came and all operations were ceased.
Dover added that the Regional Democratic Council has no authority to do any work to kokers in that area.
Hence, a meeting will have to be held with representatives from the works Ministry and drainage and irrigation to address the current occurrence.
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