Fyrish/Gibraltar pump unable to work, communities remain flooded

Jun 27, 2017 News

The Fyrish and Gibraltar communities in East Berbice-Corentyne are currently experiencing flooding, as is common in a number of villages along the coastland.
Based on reports received from Councillor Crandon within the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) yesterday, the current situation in the area is worse than what prevailed in 2016. He said that a number of yards in the area are under water and some residents have lost their livestock while some would have had their kitchen gardens covered in water, thereby damaging their cash crops.
He said that an excavator has been loaned to the NDC to assist in desilting drains and canals leading to the Borlam Outfall. He said that the material that was dug up from the canal has been placed on the nearby road and has taken up a lot of space.
According to Crandon, a request was made to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) to have the mud placed in areas around the community that need to be built-up, for example the Community Centre Ground.
However, no request has been granted, so the material has not been moved. Further, he said the pump at the outfall is unable to work since there is still silt in the canal that needs to be excavated. If the pump is turned on, the silt can damage the impeller.
During last year’s scenario, the pump was not working which caused the residents of the area to be under water for two months. The pump had been out of order for six weeks.
In addition to that, the main drainage koker was ineffective since the same problem – the build-up of silt – had caused blockage of the outfall channel. Similar to what is going on currently, farmers’ crops were damaged and their livestock were forced to seek refuge on the roadways as pens and yards were inundated.
On Saturday, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson had said that Guyana should prepare themselves for at least three more days of consistent rainfall. Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder had said that as far as Charity on the Essequibo Coast to Moleson Creek, Corentyne would experience this prolonged period of rain.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Frederick Flatts, had said that all 58 of the NDIA pumps around Guyana are working to get the excess water off the land, including the Corentyne area.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News