Contractors now being mobilised to execute flood relief works

Region 5 floods

After weeks of assault from the raging waves from the sea due to inadequate, and in some instances, damaged sea defence, residents of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) are now being told that contractors are being mobilised to execute flood relief works.

Junior Public Infrastructure Minister Jaipaul Sharma in an interview with this publication on Monday said that works that could end up costing over $1 billion will be done on a projected three-kilometre stretch of land in Mahaicony.
“We’re currently mobilising with the contractors, that will be executing the works. Recently, we requested from Cabinet, additional contingency advances. So we are engaging with the contractors for the laying of the material.”
“We’re also cooperating with the [National Drainage and Irrigation Authority] and so we are looking at it holistically to see what can be done comprehensively to address the issues,” Sharma added.
Sharma noted that NDIA had placed pumps to draw floodwater out and mitigate flooding on farmlands. He noted also that empoldering, the use of polders and dykes, among other measures to reclaim land from the floodwaters, is ongoing.
“There’s some empoldering work being done for the land. They’re also [working on] the access dam. They might even consider if they should put crusher run on the surface… we have to ensure that the integrity of the dam will be maintained.” he said, noting the importance of being able to use available roads and other avenues to access the area.

Destruction

Flooding in Mahaica this month saw more than 300 acres of rice being destroyed and hundreds of acres more being put under threat of destruction by saltwater. In addition, livestock was destroyed and properties sustained damages.
Apart from the destruction of the rice, it has been reported that the flooded land is no longer suitable for rice production, since the soil composition has become too salty.
On Thursday last, high tides caused major overtopping of the sea defence at Dantzig and nearby villages. This occurred even as the NDIA was preparing to prevent flooding from the October spring tide expected in two weeks.
Region Five Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told Guyana Times on Friday that the floodwaters from the previous flood receded a few days ago and the area is once again bracing itself for disaster. He said that the Dantzig-Fairfield area has been completely flooded again.
“Currently, the situation in the Dantzig-Fairfield area has not been fully recovered from the previous floods. What we have seen over the past 24 hours is the water coming back onto the land, some of the fields which had dried off over the past couple of days have flooded again,” the Chairman said.
Two weeks ago, the sea defence at Dantzig, Mahaica, was breached and saltwater from the ocean flowed onto the land, killing livestock, rice fields and vegetable farms.
Persons in the residential areas were also hard-hit as the sea covered several miles inland.
Rice farmers at First Savannah, Mahaicony Creek, have been very critical of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) after flooding caused millions in losses for them.