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Suggestions to prevent flooding in Berbice
Dear Editor,
We have observed recently that there has been severe flooding in many strategic areas of the country. In Berbice, the flooding has had great adverse effect on farmers and their productive efforts. I believe that the Manarabisi and Kokerite savannahs can be tamed by the setting up of an irrigation and drainage scheme similar to that of the MMA. The inflows to the Canje River ought to be dammed. Water behind the dam can then be released on demand.
True enough we need much water for the sugar estates on the upper and middle Corentyne, but then if this empoldering of the lands affected is properly executed all stake holders will benefit tremendously. It does not make much sense routing water through Black Bush Polder at this time. The outfalls at the Adventure, Mibicuri and No. 43 canals are heavily silted up and thus the flow rate will encourage massive flooding of existing rice cultivation.
In times past, the out falls mentioned were each some quarter of a mile long. These outfalls were regularly desilted. At No. 66, the situation is not much better. The outfall channel is only passable at high tides. The fisher-folk who use this channel can attest to this fact. In recent times desilting work was halted and recourse made to the pumping of water. It is a known fact that the discharge of water from sluices is much greater than that from a pump. One does not quite understand the conventional wisdom of the deployment of pumps except in the case when the discharge from the sluice is hampered due to defects with the sluice or unusually heavy rainfall being experienced.
The flooding in Regions 7, 8, and 9, especially the habitation areas has to do more with the cultural pattern of the people living in those areas. From times immemorial we know that most of the peoples there prefer to live in the low lying areas and in valleys. Then again, the river systems there are interlinked with the major river system of Brasil. When the Brazilian rivers overflow their banks, this will naturally have adverse consequences for our interior dwellers. Persons should be encouraged to change the location of their dwelling and move to higher grounds. The farm lands can remain where they are but the population needs to be kept out of the danger zones.
Cyril Walker
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