No. 28 Village affected by flooding

Jun 08, 2016 News

The El Nino phenomenon has come to an end and Guyana is now experiencing frequent rainfall, in some instances lasting for prolonged periods. This has increased the risks of flooding in vulnerable areas across the country. One such community feeling the brunt of the increased water levels is No. 28 Village, West Coast Berbice.
Speaking with Kaieteur News, a resident and farmer within the rural community expressed dismay at the efforts of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary – Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) to remedy the situation. The concerned farmer complained that persons are losing their livestock and water levels have invaded residents’ bottom houses. He blames the disastrous situation on the dysfunctional sluice located at No. 27 Village, WCB. It was reported to this newspaper that the problem has been persistent for more than six weeks. The concerned farmer reported that the sluice that should be doing the work has been blocked for the past two years.
According to Chairman of MMA-ADA Aubrey Charles, the main sluice causing the problem is located at Trafalgar Village. Charles informed this publication that during the El Nino season, the silt at the sluice had built up and has blocked the outflow of water from the land. He stated that just last month, a pontoon and an excavator loaned to the authority by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) were on the site trying to de-silt the area. However, since the pontoon had to be reassigned to other areas facing similar problems, the blockage has not been fully cleared.
Due to the excavator having to leave, the slush has since “washed back” to where it was. The MMA-ADA Chairman added that the release of water from the conservancy to irrigate rice lands has made the flooding worse since it has nowhere to go.
When asked what other plans are in place to get rid of the excess water, Charles said “…we have a pump pumping water out, since there is no natural drainage…” Despite this intervention, he noted that the pump has proven not to have the capacity to handle the volume of water from increased rainfall and irrigation.
To this end, Charles said that “…an additional pump is being sought from the NDIA to double up with the pumping.”

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