Heavy rainfall leaves several sections of Berbice under water

Jun 27, 2017 News

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A downpour that began on Thursday afternoon and continued left most of the residential

areas along the 85-mile long region under water.
Some of the areas hardest hit were Number 47, 52 and 54 Villages and the Black Bush Polder. There are also reports of heavy flooding in the Crabwood Creek and Corriverton.
The farmers on East Bank Berbice say cash crops are in danger and a canal which should have been dug earlier remains blocked.
A resident of Tain Village, Corentyne, Berbice, Dhanraj Singh, whose entire yard was under water, told this publication that even with the daily pumping of the water by the NDC his yard and other yards remain flooded.
‘“Me lose couple ducks and chicken but wha me go do; the water ah go out easy, easy.” He stated that the pumps have been working every day since the heavy rainfall but still there is excess water in the area.
Meanwhile, residents in East Canje were under several inches of water up to Saturday afternoon. Regional Chairman, David Armogan, who visited several of the flood hit areas, explained that the region is unable to access the services of GuySuCo which in the past assisted whenever there was heavy rainfall.

He explained that villages like Canefield are low-lying and will be the first to flood. “That was pasture land years ago and now converted into residential communities. Those areas are like a basin.
“In the past we used to get GuySuCo [Guyana Sugar Corporation] to assist with a pump to get the water out, but I called the manager and he told me that he doesn’t have any machine, so I have to see if the NDIA [National Drainage and Irrigation Authority] can assist with a mobile pump that we can move around wherever there are problems,” the Chairman said.
He noted that several pumps have been turned on in villages along the Corentyne. He explained that Friday morning they were depending on gravity drainage, but as the tide rose, and sluices were closed, by midday pumps went into operation.
“We are hoping that with no more rain places like the Black Bush Polder will be drained in another day or two. Once you get that intensity of rainfall, it becomes difficult to get all of the water off the land within four hours. We are only allowed three to four hours of gravity drainage because of the tide… Maybe for the twenty-four hour period you will get about eight hours gravity drainage.”
Tero Arjune, a Crabwood Creek cash crop farmer told Kaieteur News that there are over 200 farmers and all have thus far been affected.
“Me had approximately 6000 sweet pepper and me average me go loss like about 40% of it because me can’t tell exactly how much now until we get like about three to four day sunshine and that water dry up”.
According to Arjune, “The drainage and everything up to date but it nah able tek da

amount ah rainfall.”
He stated that since the Water Users Association was formed some time in 2006, they have not been experiencing heavy flooding as in previous years. He stressed that the farmers had requested another sluice in the area to assist with flooding, but to date they have not received any positive word of such. “We get two sluices draining 8000 acres, but another one go draw out this water quick”.
Meanwhile, in Region Five, similar conditions existed over the past three days resulting in flooding of both residential and farming areas.
Among the hard hit areas were Bush Lot, Bath Settlement, Kingeley, Rosignol and Tempie. Farmers have lost crops mainly in the Bath Settlement and Mahaicony areas also at Airy Hall, Huntley, Dundee and Novar.
Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told this publication that the Hope Canal has played a major role in reducing flooding in those communities.
“In the past when the East Demerara Conservancy would have reached its maximum level water would normally be channeled to the Mahaica Creek area and flood that area. However, since the canal is dug and is fully operational, it would have helped tremendously with the farming community within the Mahaica/Mahaicony area,” Ramphal said.
He said the NDIA has been assisting the Regional Administration to acquire pumps, however only one has been made available to the region thus far.
According to Ramphal, “I communicated with the [Regional Executive Officer] and told him about the affected areas where the drainage system was being impeded, I communicated to him the areas that are under water and need assistance emergency assistance. However, he said he was in the field and would not be able to say whether the region has resources to execute work in those areas.”
Up to late Sunday afternoon in several parts of Region Six waters had already receded. The Canefield, East Canje areas were also seeing major relief.

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