Over 100 Canal farmers affected by flooding

Farmers within the Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara (WBD) area are now calling for help after hundreds of thousands of dollars have been lost as a result of excessive flooding.
The area has constantly been under water for over a month now, which has affected over 100 residents and caused farmers to rapidly lose crops.
Guyana Times understands that the flooding issue is as a result of poor drainage systems in the area.
Presently, the canal is overtaken by vegetation, causing it to be clogged. Compounding the situation, stones and asphalt from a road which broke away some time ago have slipped into the canal.
According to the residents, the area has always been affected by flooding, however, this is the first time that they have been affected for such an extended period.
Several complaints have been lodged at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in the area, however, the residents are now complaining of substandard cleaning work being carried out.
“They are trying to help with tractor and they get some self-help work and tried to clear the canal but that is not all, the problem is still there at the canal because the front of the canal high and the bottom low and some place in the canal,” one farmer said.
This publication was told that several farmers have also since visited the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), where the matter was reported to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) on numerous occasions to no avail.
Fifty-two-year-old Ramzan Shaw, a farmer of over 20 years of Lot 7 Good Hope, Canal, Number One, Polder, West Bank Demerara (WBD), said that he lost over $200,000 since the flooding began.
According to the farmer, his livelihood is being threatened since over 30 peach trees, 20 breadfruits trees, several rambutan trees along with several pineapples plants have died.
The farmer expressed his fear that more of his crops will die shortly since no measure is being put into place to have the matter rectified.
Shaw is advising that a channel be dug in the middle of the channel which will see the water on the land being drained off.
“The canal in front of us, it is full of moss, what they do is they come and weed it top top and after two mornings, it grows back and flood again. Now they need to dig a channel in the canal, build the dam which will leave the channel in the middle so that the water can keep running off” Shaw said.
According to the farmer, if those responsible for the draining issues visit the area to hear the residents’ concerns then flooding would not be an issue since it can easily be fixed with the proper intervention.
“These people in Region know but they are not helping… they are not even coming to hear the concern of the people…I am even more sorry for my neighbour, he lost so much more than me, all he trees them dying out, somebody need to come and look into this man” the upset man expressed.
Calls by this newspaper to the Region Three RDC went unanswered.