Heavy rainfall and overtopping batters Black Bush Polder and the entire Region Six; livestock and crops damaged

May 30, 2021 News

– Agri Minister deploys machines, additional pumps

Scenes from a flooded out Black Bush Polder.

Kaieteur News – An emergency visit to flood affected Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, East Berbice, by the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, and the Prime Minister, Hon. Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, saw the Government officials making several decisions that could provide some relief to the residents. Heavy rainfall and overtopping have been experienced for nearly two weeks and has caused severe flooding in the four polders in Black Bush, particularly Mibicuri, Johanna and Yakusari, along with several other villages in Region Six. Dams were in a deplorable state, some streets were covered with water inches high, the yard spaces in the residential areas were also inundated with water causing damages to crop, livestock and in some cases household appliances and furniture.
A decision was made to have an excavator remain in each of the polders in Black Bush and machines deployed throughout the region to assist. Additional pumps are also expected to be added to speed up the drainage of the water in the area. The Minister returned to Region Six on Friday and visited Black Bush on Saturday – he also visited flood-affected areas on the Corentyne, East Canje and East Bank of Berbice.
At Black Bush on Friday, he said, “the last visit I made a number of interventions including sending machines et cetera and today I am a bit pleased that most of the measures have been implemented. We have machines in the four polders and we have machines on the crown dam because there is an overtopping there. We brought a new pump that is being placed at Eversham and by tomorrow (Saturday) I will install a new pump at No. 43.”
The Minister said he has taken note and is aware of the other parts of the region that have been flooded and interventions at Port Mourant, Babu Jaan, and Ankerville were made. A machine was sent and a new pump as well was put in place. A new pump was installed at Whim to assist Whim, Auchlyne and Liverpool area and a pump is expected at Letterkenny and Bloomfield areas.
“There are other areas in the region that I am looking at, I think because of the high intensity rainfall and the overtopping we have had this problem in the polder here. I am hoping that the officers from the various agencies are doing an assessment and then we will look at the assessment and see what kind of help we can extend to the farmers who would have suffered losses.”
“We had a first-hand look,” Mustapha noted, “at what is taking place in Black Bush, and there is high intensity rainfall throughout the country so much that our drainage system is not catered to take off the amount of water within a 24-hr. period. We are seeing now 5-6 inches of rainfall within a 24-hour period and our system is geared to take off 2 ½ inches of water, so that is putting a lot of stress on the drainage system,” the Agriculture Minister said.
Mustapha, following the meetings and engagements with the affected residents, stated that because of the current state of the situation they are trying to boost the efficiency of the drainage systems by “complementing it with pumps. Residents in Black Bush complained that water is being “blown out” from the backlands and savannah area into the residential and housing area and this has compounded the flooding. The Minister stated that such “is putting more stress on the drainage systems in here. We are trying to regulate that water coming into the housing area so that we can have fast drainage.”
Furthermore, sometime ago during one of his visits to Black Bush, the Minister had given instructions to have machines assigned to the area to clear canals, drains etc. but “what we found is that some of the work that we intended at that time to do were not done so I am now assigning back for the rest of this period with a machine in each of the four polders so that they can complete the works that were targeted the first time I came.” Additionally, NDIA were instructed to clear the reserve in the backdam areas so that work can be executed since persons were occupying the said reserve, preventing works to be done.
With persons suffering an extensive amount of loss, Mustapha said that GRDB, NARIE and GLDA will be assessing the situation to assist by way of giving back materials etc.
“We have small children, the livestock – everything dying out, we can’t move and go nowhere and the water causing rash. The water like this for a week now, the back worse. When you coming out you got to use like tractor or something and then something gonna get wet, we had a small shop there and they flood. The drainage isn’t good, when Minister Zulfi was Chairman he use to come in and make sure the drainage were cleaned, but the Chairman (NDC) right now in Black Bush he na see, if he was doing what the Minister is doing this na would have happened,” said Sharmilla Dindial, whose entire yard and street is covered in water said.
Minister Mustapha said that the Government has released over $140 Million to the Water Users Association which is responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the canal and that many contractors were owed under the previous administration. He added that just last week cabinet approved a sum of $15M to pay out those owed contractors so that things can move along.
“The RDC and NDC must work together and all the agencies must work together to maximise the effort so that we can have good result in terms of getting the area drained as fast as possible. People are very agitated and concerned, we understand that, but as I said that this matter will take precedent and will put all measures in place to get the matter resolved as soon as possible,” the Minister said.
Food hampers and sanitisation hampers were also distributed on Friday and Saturday in Black Bush. Floodwaters have risen in several parts of the country due to the constant rainfall. In Berbice, several villages have been inundated with water for the past week and residents are growing frustrated by the day. Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain; Regional Chairman, David Armogan; Regional Executive Officer, Narindra Persaud and Region Six Agriculture Coordinator, Dennis Deoroop accompanied the Minister and PM to the visit.