By Shemuel Fanfair
As the floodwaters continue to slowly recede in some communities in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), the livelihoods of many residents and farmers remain under threat.
On Monday, at Blairmont, the mobility of residents is still being hindered as bridges are still under water.
Region Five Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told Guyana Times that the regional administration is continuing to monitor the situation. He related that in the villages of Trafalgar, Lovely Lass and Union, the most of the floodwaters have receded. This only occurred after pumps and excavators were deployed to the area by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA).
The Chairman further observed that the medical team which was deployed to the indigenous settlement of Moraikobai to assist in the prevention of waterborne diseases did not find any outbreaks. This deployment was in response to reports that persons in that village had complained of itches about the body. Ramphal stated that Moraikobai was still under water.
On Sunday, Guyana Times reported that the regional team visited several communities along the Mahaicony River, most of which were flooded. The Chairman told this newspaper that because of the flooding in Moraikobai, villages such as Mora Point, Pine Ground and Gordon Table were also flooded. Many farmers in these villages said that they have lost some of their cash crops.
Two weeks ago, reports surfaced of flooding in Lovely Lass, as a result of a faulty pump which was installed by MMA/ADA. It was noted that the heavy downpours caused this situation to escalate to the point where some of the roads had began to deteriorate under the floodwaters.
Over the last few weeks, Guyana Times has been highlighting the challenges which communities in Region Five have been facing as a result of flooding. A breached dam along the Perth Canal in Branch Road, Mahaicony, had led to a significant acreage of rice lands being inundated last month.
