Extreme rainfall causes flooding at Speightland, Kara Kara

The communities of Speightland and Kara Kara at Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) have been experiencing severe flooding as extreme rainfall continues.
Farmers in the communities have suffered losses as crops are flooded and livestock affected.
According to residents, the situation is compounded by an overflow of sand from mined-out areas into the Kara Kara creek. They have noted that previous and current mining activities also continue to have an impact.
Speightland resident and farmer Lionel Edwards highlighted a specific point near the “Kara Kara Blue Lake”, where there is severe erosion, with sand being deposited into the creek. He explained that natural phenomena such as tremors have also led to sand deposits in the waterway.
“The main issue is the flooding of the lands, caused by the erosion of the sand…As soon as the weather pattern change, it’s flooding out everything…It’s flooding right through the Kara Kara villages, the schemes, all over. All the riverine areas does be flood out,” Edwards noted.
He noted that the creek has not been desilted for some time, relating that there used to be a project to clear the creek, but the sand would not be cleared.
A look at the communities which are accessed through the creek revealed flooded livestock pens and farms.
“Most residents now is doing cash crops for small income to come in, to suffice themselves. And with the flooding, this will really be a challenging time for them, because the land will overflow, overtop with the water and they can’t plant,” Edwards related as he assessed the situation on the ground.
On reflecting on how previous mining activities have contributed to the problem, Edwards said these were conducted too close to the creek.
“They did the ‘stripping limit’ to mine the bauxite too near to the creek and every time they get a rain session or season, the sand keep flowing from this direction (mined-out area) all the time,” he said.
Edwards noted that he has requested for the present mining company in the community to assist in flattening hills in these areas but to no avail. He said he has also written several letters asking for assistance to have the creek cleared, as he stressed the need for a diversion or re-channelling of the waterway. The issue, he noted, is serious and requires urgent attention.
“I would be glad if the relevant authorities can look into this matter…and rechannel this creek, because if it continues to be like this, we wouldn’t get this creek anymore to use. And it got a lot of people doing farming beyond here and they depend on the creek for transportation,” the resident noted.
“We also need this creek to be cleared – both sides. All the debris. We need it to be an annual thing,” he continued.
Residents highlighted that in times past, such works would be executed by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), but noted that it lacked the capacity to properly execute them.
“All this sand contributing to the overflowing of the Kara Kara Creek and it’s stretching going over to the Christiansburg burial ground area. We really need the creek to be desilted…the depth of the creek was up to 40 feet deep … now you can walk across when the tide is low, because of the sand that build up inside…According to scientists, the weather just began. So you can imagine what will happen over the next days or weeks or months,” Edwards stressed.
Residents are also calling for a revitalisation of the Community Development Council (CDC), which could look into such issues as they stressed the need for new elections. (Utamu Belle)