Impoldering needed to prevent flood impact – residents

The impoldering of several residential communities along the East Coast of Demerara is one method which residents have suggested be employed to ease the impact of flooding from the current spring tide, which has already swept away mangroves from the coast.

As weather patterns become more erratic as a result of climate change, persons who reside along the coast have suffered greatly due to overtopping and flooding from unusually high tides.
As residents brace for the worst effects of spring tides that are expected to last until next week, arrangements have been put in place to ease the impact of possible flooding.
Region Five Chairman Vickchand Ramphal and officials of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) met with some residents following spring tide on Thursday which washed away mangroves in communities within Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.
According to Ramphal, the arrangements made are temporary.
“Water has gotten on land, and there is an amount of flooding. We…have met with farmers of Content and neighbouring communities this morning (Friday); and so the MMA (Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority), NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) and the Ministry of Agriculture were engaged. Very soon, excavators will be deployed to the area to assist with impoldering the homesteads so as to prevent flooding to homes in those areas,” Ramphal told this publication during a site visit.
Numerous communities, including large acreages of farmlands, are under threat of inundation due to the spring tides. High tide levels are expected in excess of 10 feet above Chart Datum. According to the Public Works Ministry, it is assessing the impacts of the current spring tide on the sea and river defences in vulnerable locations along the coast.
“Because of the tropical storms that have been developing in the Atlantic currently, we are experiencing abnormal waves in the Fairfield, Dantzig, Content area. As such, we…have seen that there is heavy overtopping of our sea defences including those that were recently fixed,” the official explained.
There has been heavy overtopping, and erosion of the sea defence structures which were rehabilitated earlier this year. The current spring tide cycle started on Tuesday and is expected to last for one week.
According to the Regional Chairman, the Public Works Ministry has been engaged, and four emergency contracts have been awarded to carry out remedial work to the sea defence structures. Two of the contracts will be for work to be done west of Content going to the Mahaica River, and the other two are for works to be done east of Content, going towards Dantzig.
Ramphal is appeal to citizens to take the necessary measures to protect their homes and livestock from the effects of flooding. (G4)