Several villages in Mahaicony under water

Jun 22, 2018 News

…Farmers seek help from NDIA

Five farmers in the Mahaicony area are calculating their losses in the millions, after dams in the Gordon Table and First Savanna, have been overrun with water, causing their rice lands to be flooded.
Ramcharran Bholagosein, 58, one of the farmers who claims losses in excess of $1.5 million in recent times, after losing 500 bags of paddy to flood waters, says he is hoping Government can intervene, since appeals to National Drainage & Irrigation Authorities (NDIA) seem to drop on deaf ears.
When this publication visited the area, a number of breaches were visible, on dams bordering the rice land and most of the rice lands were inundated by the surrounding waters. Mr Bholagosein said that he had spoken to (NDIA) officials responsible for the area on many occasions, but they have made no attempts to address the farmer’s problems.

Mr. Ramcharran Bholagosein’s rice lands that have been damaged by flood waters

The farmers claim that many attempts were made to reach officials and request help, but every time, it is a different story. Mr Bholagosein said he spoke to NDIA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Frederick Flatts, who put him onto a Mr. Seeraj, who is responsible for the (NDIA’s) operations in the Mahaicony area.
Now he and other farmers are being given the royal run around while they continue to lose.
Mr Bholagosein and the other farmers contend that if the NDIA undertakes preventative maintenance in the area, there would be no need for the kind of extensive work that is now needed to repair the damage resulting from the rainy weather.
The farmers are hoping the authorities can come to their aid soon. They said that they have loans and other commitments that are in jeopardy as a result of their inability to work.