…floodwaters finally recede
Residents of Canal Number Two, who were flooded for weeks, have expressed their relief upon the rectification of their draining system, which was seen as the major cause of the recent flooding.
A resident from the community told Guyana Times on Wednesday that the canal was cleared which allowed for the excess water to drain off their lands. According to the resident, the area was cleared after this newspaper published several articles highlighting their plight.
“Right now, since the articles were published, they come and clear the canal and so now the water is able to leave. Like how we had heavy rainfall this morning (Wednesday), that would’ve affected us. Now, we don’t have to worry about it. Since they clean that, the water start to recede.”
Another resident indicated that the presence of moss in the canal hindered the free flow of water from the land. Now that it has been cleared, water can drain from their premises unimpeded after heavy rainfall.
However, while the water has now receded, residents are still worrying about the losses which they face after the damage caused by the floodwaters. The farmers are yet to replant and salvage all the crops which were damaged during the inundation.
For over one week, farmers in the community were suffering from flooding, which caused severe damage at their farms and other premises. Residents from the community had indicated that the water was receding very slowly and at one point, it drained from the land one inch every two days.
Later that week, the neighbouring Canal Number One Polder also experienced mass flooding, which inundated farmlands and resulted in millions in losses as well. Farmers explained that this could have been avoided had the Water Users Association not burst the dam to install large tubes.
Cash crop farmer Morlene (only name given) told this publication her entire farm was under water, and she has incurred losses amounting to over half of a million dollars.
Meanwhile, another farmer, Doodnauth Singh, had stated that his entire pineapple field has been under water as high as three feet for the past two weeks. He said his pineapples have withered and his cattle have had to relocate to higher ground to access feed.
