Houses, farmlands flooded as koker door collapses in Essequibo
At least 25 households and more than 70 acres of farmland are now under water following the collapse of a koker door at Better Success, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Workers trying to repair the door
Based on reports received, the door collapsed around 16:44h, resulting in water from the Atlantic Ocean forcefully rushing inland.
The Region Two Administration along with the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) sprang into immediate action to get the situation under control, but some properties still became inundated.
Region Two Vice Chairman Humace Oodit told the media that the sluice door was built under the previous Government and it was not constructed to specifications. He added that the NDIA would now have to construct a steel door.
“The door built by the previous Administration was a disaster waiting to happen and as such, we cater in our budget to build a steel door for the location,” Oodit explained.
Several residents were forced to use sandbags to prevent the water from getting into their home while some had to move to higher ground. Up to late Thursday evening, the authorities were busy trying to repair the door in order to bring some relief to the residents.
