Villages in Region One (Barima-Waini) are the latest to face the spate of flooding due to high tides and rainfall; businesses and homes have been completely ambushed by excessive inundation.
Sections of Region One under water on Thursday
Floodwaters that began to rise on Wednesday and continued throughout Thursday have affected Barabina, Kumaka and Hosororo. This was communicated by Mayor of the township of Mabaruma, Chris Phang, during an interview with Guyana Times after he had visited some of the inundated areas on Thursday morning. Mayor Phang has noted that livestock and cash crop farmers have been devastated by the losses to their livelihoods.
“Three constituencies were affected, mainly Constituencies Four, Five and Six. I…have visited them this morning, and I saw for myself where houses are actually under water. There are persons with cash crops…their gardens…have been affected as well. This is the same (situation) for livestock (farmers).”
Sections of Region One under water on Thursday
The Mayor indicated that the unforeseen flooding has affected businesses in the region’s economic hub, Kumaka. He said other drainage issues have exacerbated the conditions in Barabina, and Horsororo has been severely affected. It is estimated that some 20 business establishments have suffered losses, with approximately 40 households being similarly affected in the Horsororo stretch.
Phang detailed, “Barabina was suffering from a water issue, where the road would (be) blocked, and it because worse with the high tide and rain. The water is actually about four feet in height.
Region Two farmlands have remained inundated for several days
“Constituency Five is the main shopping area within the town Kumaka, and business persons… have suffered also, because it actually caught everybody off-guard. Horsorro suffered the worst,” he said.
Officials on site are monitoring the conditions with visits to communities.
Phang explained that there is not enough equipment to drain the land immediately, but the water is receding at a slow pace.
“It was receding, but not at a fast rate, because we don’t have the necessary equipment, for example the pump and excavator, to help excavate the trenches. So I’m hoping that the residents would get some relief…I would have forwarded that information to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development,” he said.
Countrywide rainfall/flooding
This week, flooding was reported in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
More than three days after lands in Hackney and Jacklow Villages in the Lower-Pomeroon community were completely inundated, residents and farmers complained on Thursday that the water has not receded.
Relief supplies being dispatched to Regions Five and 10 (CDC photo)
Speaking with this publication, residents voiced their plight, noting the impact the flood water has on their livelihood, especially at the farmlands.
Distraught farmer Harrel Thomas expressed, “On Monday, we had continuous rainfall in the night. It was raining cats and dogs on Wednesday the whole day, plus we were expecting a high tide that flowed over the defence dams and flooded the place. My farmland has been covered with water from that day to now. Other cash crops’ farmers are counting losses – even myself – at present.”
Communities along the coastline in Region Three have been affected, along with sections of Georgetown and the East Bank of Demerara. The township of Bartica in Region Seven has been heavily inundated from hours of continuous rainfall.
In Region Six, the communities of Yakusari, Johanna, Mibicuri and Lesbeholden in Black Bush Polder, Corentyne have suffered damages.
Following a visit from Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) have been instructed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the losses in the entire Black Bush Polder scheme.
Residents have also been informed that the Government has allocated in excess of $140 million to the Water Users’ Association to clear the canals and drains.
Meanwhile, more than 60 homes in Region Nine, especially in Shea, Awarewaunau, Maruranau and Aishalton in the Deep South Rupununi, have been affected by floodwaters.
Relief supplies being dispatched to Regions Five and 10 (CDC photo)
The CDC on Wednesday conducted an assessment of the situation and distributed cleaning hampers to impacted communities in Region 10, mainly Silver City, Three Friends, and Coomacka. Additionally, a large tube has been installed under the roadway to help with water recession. Older tubes have incurred some damage and are being repaired. Assessments have been done at Malali, Muritaro, Watooka and Nottinghampshire.
Several cabinet members have since reached out to the affected villages as the CDC continues relief efforts.
