West Watooka farmers counting their losses

RESIDENTS of West Watooka and surrounding communities such as Silver City and Canvas City are affected by flooding as a result of the heavy rains.The heavy downpours caused the revetment works on the main thoroughfare to completely collapse, causing an uneasy flow of water from creeks on the Wismar shore into the Demerara River.
Several communities have been affected, particularly farmlands in West Watooka.
When Guyana Chronicle visited the community, several farms were under water,as well as residents’ yards.

One farmer,Maurice Mc Curdy,told this publication that his entire farm of cash crops has been flooded and it is a tremendous loss for him.
“This water here coming til from Block 22, all them crops under water, pumpkin all them thing. The last time I bring Bella here, I had to pay Bella over a hundred thousand dollars to clear this water with he machine,” the distraught farmer revealed.

A young man who identified himself as ‘farmer’, also expressed hurt over his many loses, saying that sales from small-scale farming is his only means of earning.
According to him, the losses will continue as the rain is expected to end in February.
“Ya hearing is till February this heavy rain gon done, so what gon happen, this is not the first time we get flood out and now the koker block is worst,” he said watching on at his flooded farm.
Residents of Canvas City are also affected by the floods and the ‘backed-up’ koker in the community which had already posed issues of flooding in the recent past.

With the main revetment collapsing, these residents are also counting their loses to the floods since it has incurred a cost upon them to repair their properties as a result of erosion.
Nichola Higgins, who was forced to rebuild an entire fence as a result of erosion caused by flooding, is also affected by the inundation.
“Every time the rain fall, it is a real hazard to us, I’m a single parent and I does have to pay people to clean the koker and even if it clean, we does still get flood out,” she said.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian who was on site to inspect the flooding and collapsed revetment, expressed concern over the number of communities that have been affected.
“This creek is Ice Water Creek that clearing water from Block 22. So you coming through Block 22, One Mile, Half Mile, Canvas City so it is communities coming right through, the blocking there affecting people all along. I am going to without delay call a contractor to look at the breakage and then we will contact the Ministry of Public Infrastructure,” Morian promised.
Since the rainy season commenced, several roadways in Linden have collapsed due to erosion.

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