– Black Bush, East Coast flood waters are also starting to recede
DAYS after Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha visited flood-affected areas of a Charity on the Essequibo Coast, residents have begun to experience some relief as flood waters begin to recede.
The ministry’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), along with the regional administration of Region Two (Pomeroom-Supenaam), succeeded in co-operating following a ministerial directive to put systems in place to bring some relief to affected residents.
It was reported that following the removal of a drainage pump at Charity, flood waters that had built up in many areas following days of continuous rainfall, had begun to recede.
Minister Mustapha, who instructed the NDIA during his visit last Tuesday to get the pump into the area immediately, said it was vital to put measures in place to bring some relief to those affected.
“I am happy to report that a few days after visiting these areas we were able to bring some relief to the affected residents. I would have instructed our regional engineers to urgently handle this issue and to temporarily deploy a pump operating at Windsor Castle to the area. When I visited the area with Prime Minister Phillips, I was able to assess the situation firsthand, and following consultations with my technical officers, it was decided that this was the best alternative for the time being, ”he said r Minister Mustapha.
The subject minister added that the ministry is also working to develop long-term systems to combat flooding in vulnerable, low-lying areas across the country.
In addition, areas along the East Coast of Demerara are also experiencing some relief after a visit from Minister Mustapha. During a visit last Wednesday, Minister Mustapha instructed the NDIA to send two machines to the area to begin urgent work on several drainage channels that needed to be cleared.
Residents from Unity, Hope, Cane Grove and other affected areas along the affected coast, appealed to the minister for some help, noting that no major maintenance channels and several canals had been carried out of areas for some time.
On Thursday, the NDIA began clearing a number of blocked canals in the Hope Estate areas on the East Coast of Demerara, which have contributed to receding flood waters in some areas. Furthermore, a machine was used to start clearing approximately 2,000 rods from a drainage channel at Unity. That machine is expected to start operation today, and that intervention is expected to serve flooded farming and residential areas.
The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Foundation (NAREI), have also sent extension officers to affected areas to assess the losses farmers have suffered. u shoulder. To date, approximately 457 cash crop farmers and 92 livestock farmers from areas in Regions Two, Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), have been registered by NAREI and the GLDA (Authority Guyana Livestock Development) respectively for assistance. of the ministry. With rice cultivation in the irrigation phase, GRDB extension officials are currently monitoring the fields and will conduct a similar exercise in the event of any reports of losses. Farmers who have been flooded but are not registered are asked to contact their regional extension officers.