– but Mahaicony farmers in race to save crops, livestock
By Pushpa Balgobin
Farmers at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara employed a tractor-driven pump to help drain water from the rice fields
Coastlanders on Wednesday got some respite from the rain, and with most of the drainage systems up and running, floodwaters accumulated over the past four days are rapidly draining off residential and farmlands along East Coast Demerara. But farmers living in the Mahaicony Creek are in a race to save their crops and livestock as excess water from the conservancy continues to be dumped in their area.
Government announced on Tuesday that it was releasing water from the swollen East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) into the Mahaica Creek, saying that the water in the reservoir is at a threatening level.
Residents in low-lying communities have been warned to take the necessary precautions against flooding.
Over the years, the authorities have had to resort to releasing water into the Mahaica Creek to avert a collapse of the conservancy wall, but this action has often resulted in severe flooding for residents in the Mahaica Creek area.
In a statement, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the actions taken were to maintain the conservancy at a safe level, pointing out that in most of the places where the ministry measures the amount of rainfall, the amount for January 2012 has surpassed the long term average for January several folds.
He said due to continuous rainfall resulting from the mild La Niña weather conditions, the water in the EDWC has reached a threatening level, and is still rising.
Balchan Persaud showing how high the floodwater is outside his home located near the Mahaicony Creek
“As a last resort, the commission of EDWC has taken the decision to have controlled release of water through the Mahaica Creek via the Maduni outlet so as to ensure the integrity of the EDWC dams.” According to Dr Ramsammy, excess water continues to be evacuated from the EDWC into the Demerara River via the five-door sluice at Land of Canaan and outlets at Kofi and Cunhia. “Releasing from these outlets remains our first choice and we will continue to release from these outlets. As soon as it is possible, we will stop releases from the Maduni and rely exclusively on the Demerara River outlets,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday Guyana Times International visited several communities along the East Coast Demerara as well in the Mahaicony area. Mahaicony famers are fearful that not only would their rice crop be destroyed by the flooding, but also their livestock.
Many farmers spent the last five days pumping water from their flooded rice fields into the trenches and drains, unfortunately those same drainage systems are now unable to cope with the large volume of water.
As of Monday, the Maduni sluice was opened, resulting in even higher water levels in the Mahaicony savannah farmlands.
Ranchers, Bachan Dyal and Monieram Persaud say they have over 240 heads of livestock that currently have no proper grazing pastures.
The rice paddies are flooded and the dams are unable to contain the water and provide a walking space for cattle. “We have been pumping water for 22 hours,” Dyal said. He went on to say that “We aren’t looking for help necessarily, but we need dam infrastructure”. He pointed to an area past his rice paddy, and noted that the Agriculture Ministry had been developing a dam prior to the rains, but it was not enough. Dyal said that he and Manieram Persaud are the largest ranchers in Washclothes, Mahaicony, and they are fearful that without grazing grounds, many of his livestock will die.
Manieram Persaud echoed Dyal sentiments and noted that currently, the intense pumping is helping, but once the water starts to draw from the Maduni sluice, there is little he can do to prevent a complete flood. “We’ve been here for as long as life, it gets worse and worse every year,” Persaud said.
“There is no drainage, there is nowhere for the water to go,” Persaud said.
Both Persaud and Dyal are trying to save their 40 acres of paddies as they have already lost 150 acres of cultivation.
Franklin Gibbons told Guyana Times International that he still has hope, but as of Wednesday, his priority has shifted from his rice fields to his livestock. “I shield this paddy with 90 bags and it is about 70 acres,” Gibbons said, noting that he still has over 80 heads of cattle to think about.
“Where do I put them to graze,” he asked. While Gibbons noted that he could not assess the cost of the damage just yet, he did expect to “lose rice and cattle”. Other farmers say that their livestock are being restricted to the roads which present its own dangers.
Linden Walters and Stanwick Reece told this newspaper that they needed feed urgently for their goats and cattle. “My fields are all under water, we need feed,” Reece noted, pointing out that his 100 heads of cattle are likely to perish without assistance from the ministry in alleviating the feed situation.
Farmers are calling out to the Agriculture Ministry to listen to their desperation. Hari Persaud told this publication that “They are sacrificing us for the upper East Coast,” and he went on to say, “We will continue to punish”. Persaud has over 800 acres of rice fields that he expects to lose to the floods. He related that for over 20 years, the floods have gotten worse and worse. “We can handle the rain, it is the flooding that is the problem,” Persaud said, referring to when the sluices are opened they re-flood the savannah.
Persaud, who was a former chairman of the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI), noted that the Agriculture Ministry lacks understanding of the drainage inadequacies, and so floods will persist. “They don’t understand the problem and they won’t understand it in the future,” Persaud said.
Every farmer that was interviewed noted that there losses will be in the millions; many took small loans to cover the cost of their supplies.
Minister Ramsammy said the flooding is inevitable, and noted that there were designated grazing areas for livestock, but farmers are currently using the land for farming.
He told this publication “The short term goal is to get the water out”. The minister was at the Greenfield pump inspecting the ability of the pump to draw water out efficiently and quickly.
It was pointed out to the minister that the koker was not in working order as only one door was functioning, and that problem will only slow the process of clearing the flood water. The minister asked for patience, and assured angry residents that the water is moving.
Comments are closed.