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Jul 13, 2014 News
Despite assurances given by the relevant authorities and the installation of a number of pumps in the East Berbice areas, the residents of a number of villages in the Central Corentyne area, especially those in the Hogstye/Lancaster Neighbourhood Democratic Council are flooded again. The residents said the situation is like a revolving fraction.
Because whenever there is rain, there is flood. This latest flooding came some six months after the communities suffered a similar fate. The Regional Administration was forced to put emergency measures in place to deal with the ‘freak floods’ that occurred in December/January and which should not have happened.
So far the water has been stagnant on the land for over a week which once again is causing thousands of dollars in losses. Residents are wondering what else they have to do to get out of their plight.
This latest episode of flooding is despite assurances by the relevant authorities including the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the Regional Administration the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the Government including the Ministry of Agriculture that the situation would have been solved permanently and the residents are again accusing the relevant authorities of profiling. Again, most hit is the village of Liverpool.
Retired Headmaster and Agriculturist, O’Neil Leitch, who is among a number of residents that suffered massive losses, is prepared to do whatever is necessary to assist the residents. In his opinion the entire scenario is due to negligence. He said that this time the situation has worsened. The water has become discolored and with diseases such as Chickungunya around, residents are afraid that there would be an epidemic outbreak.
According to Leitch, he spoke to everybody in authority including all those of the various agencies mentioned above.
Region Six Vice Chairman, Bhupaul Jhagroo, had stated then that the situation was remedied with the dredging of the channels at Whim and Liverpool. The Ministry of Agriculture had predicted dry weather, but there has been rainfall which has caused residents to see an increase in the volume of water on their lands.
If fact, the residents say that whenever it rains the village is flooded. They state that water from the backlands, especially from Black Bush would flow into the village and cause more flooding.
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