Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, has announced a series of measures aimed at addressing the flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Black Bush Polder. Following a tour of the affected area on Sunday, the Minister met with residents and farmers to discuss their concerns regarding the substantial water accumulation impacting both residential and agricultural zones.
In a media briefing after the tour, Minister Mustapha explained that recent downpours had led to significant flooding, prompting the need for immediate action. He outlined plans to close off all watercourse heads leading from the drainage system to facilitate quicker draining of the flooded areas.
To enhance drainage efforts, the Minister announced that additional water pumps would be installed at Number 43 Koker, and he has instructed the regional engineer to deploy five machines to assist in the water removal process. Similar pumps will be set up in various locations to further support drainage operations.
“The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) are currently assessing the conditions and evaluating losses that farmers have faced due to the flooding,” said Mustapha. He noted that while rice farmers do not appear to have suffered major losses, cash crop farmers are expressing concerns over submerged crops. An assessment will be conducted to determine what support can be provided to them.
Furthermore, Minister Mustapha highlighted that pump stations and sluice gates in the Adventure, Eversham, and Number 43 Villages are functioning effectively. “I have residents and farmers from Black Bush monitoring the operations of the pump stations and sluices,” he stated.
The Minister expressed optimism that the newly implemented measures would enable efficient drainage of the area, alleviating the flooding situation as quickly as possible.
