Black Bush farmers burn tyres after suffering major cash- crop, livestock losses

February 5, 2012 | By KNews | Filed Under News


By Leon Suseran
Cash crop and livestock farmers in Yakusari, Black Bush Polder reached their boiling


Leelawattie Singh and her 5 children with puzzled looks on their faces as they wonder how they would recover from all the losses.

point on Saturday as they protested by burning of tyres along the roadway in disgust over the massive flooding that has virtually wiped out most of their cash-crops, poultry and goats.
The Regional Chairman of Region Six, David Armogan and his team had to visit the area to try to restore some amount of calm and give reassurance to residents and farmers that everything is being done to ensure the flooding does not happen again.
Cash crop farmer Padmanie lost 600 roots of bora.
“This ain’t lil bit, and only this I am depending on, because there is nothing more in Black Bush to do,” she said.
Another farmer, Mr. Parks planted 150 bora plants and was furious.
He also lost ochroes, bora and pumpkins.
He had installed a water pump in his backyard in an attempt to try and salvage some other crops. He complained of having to invest thousands of dollars in gasoline to operate the pump and it is still a risk since there is no guarantee that the rest of his crops will survive.
Another farmer, Leelawattie Singh lost several chickens.
“I living here for years and minding chickens. I bought 150 chickens, and if you look in me yard how the water is so high,” she complained.
“Half bed pumpkins rotten out, half bed peppers, half bed beans and bora destroyed and me get over 50 chickens that died and I throw away,” she said.
Being a single parent and suffering this kind of loss is very hard for Singh, since she has to care for five children.
“Me loss over $50,000 in me chickens and over $100,000 in cash crops in me garden,” she added.
Singh stated that she has over 49 ducks and 60 chickens in a pen that is locked up high over water.
“No good drainage in the back and front and nobody doing anything to help we,” she lamented. “Nobody really checking on we. Like pigs live at the back here. Right now me ain’t get produce to sell so how I gonna maintain me children?” she asked.
“I am asking the government if they can give me assistance, a little money so I can start back my business, because I have five children,” she said.
Another cash- crop farmer, Steven Wallace lost four beds of peppers and at an estimated cost of $200,000. He registered doubts in the promise by the authorities to take down names of farmers who have incurred losses, since that process is not really a guarantee.
“People who loss don’t get anything but who don’t loss does get benefit. It doesn’t make sense.”
“The last time we had flood and they came around and took names and at the end of the day, we did not get anything,” he said.
When Kaieteur News solicited a comment from Mr. Armogan who had just finished speaking and listening to the farmers and residents, he stated, “This (the flooding) is a result of poor drainage and apparently the outfall channel should have been dug out before the rains started but that was not done, so we are doing that now and hopefully the water can recede now that the channel is being opened up.”
Contractor Kris Jagdeo is working on desilting the outfall at Number 43 Village.
“They have a right to express their anger and disgust in the situation and we are here to see what we can do for them. But I have just had a meeting for them and I need to get back here quickly since I have promised them to come back and have regular meetings with them so we can see how we can improve Black Bush Polder.”
Armogan said that he will be visiting the community every fortnight to meet and discuss matters with residents and farmers.
“I will come in every other week to Black Bush so we can have dialogue with the people, because they seem to be having a lot of problems in here,” he pointed out.
“We had very, very high intensity of rains over the past week and this has compounded the problem. The prognosis is not too good because the weather people are saying that rains are going to be here until the end of the first quarter of the year, but maybe not with the intensity we had it over the weekend, ” the Regional Chairman stated.

When Dr. Cheddi commisioned the construction of the canals, it was to prevent the floods. I feel very sorry for these poor farmers.

What happened to the pumps at #43 that were supposed to be removing the excess water into the Corentyne river?

There is just no will power to do anything in order to prevent flooding in Guyana. Consecutive governments have buried their heads in the mud, whilst pretending everything is alright.

quote:

Originally posted by Mitwah:
When Dr. Cheddi commisioned the construction of the canals, it was to prevent the floods. I feel very sorry for these poor farmers.

What happened to the pumps at #43 that were supposed to be removing the excess water into the Corentyne river?

Mits,

Wrong geography. the #43 Koker is at Bengal and empties into the Atlantic. The mouth of the Corentyne River is more East towards # 79 Village / Crabwood Creek

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.T:
There is just no will power to do anything in order to prevent flooding in Guyana. Consecutive governments have buried their heads in the mud, whilst pretending everything is alright.

Agreed. It makes me laugh to see these PPP soupies who come here daily to praise the PPP when the residents of Guyana still use a hole in the ground as their toilet.

quote:

Originally posted by Mara:

quote:

Originally posted by Mitwah:
When Dr. Cheddi commisioned the construction of the canals, it was to prevent the floods. I feel very sorry for these poor farmers.

What happened to the pumps at #43 that were supposed to be removing the excess water into the Corentyne river?

Mits,

Wrong geography. the #43 Koker is at Bengal and empties into the Atlantic. The mouth of the Corentyne River is more East towards # 79 Village / Crabwood Creek

Mara, thanks for the correction. I understand the money that was available 4 years ago, under the IDB funded Agriculture Support Services Programme to replace many of these derelict pumps in BBP was never used. Instead the PPP/C was doing some superficial fixes to get the pumps to limp along. One resident said that Robert Persaud nah under de word "bruk". Spare parts and gasoline is a lucrative business.

quote:

Originally posted by FC:

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.T:
There is just no will power to do anything in order to prevent flooding in Guyana. Consecutive governments have buried their heads in the mud, whilst pretending everything is alright.

Agreed. It makes me laugh to see these PPP soupies who come here daily to praise the PPP when the residents of Guyana still use a hole in the ground as their toilet.

Canada donated some portable flush toilets recently.

They better audit who is shitting in dem. I bet they went to PPP cronies.

quote:

Originally posted by Mitwah:

quote:

Originally posted by FC:

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.T:
There is just no will power to do anything in order to prevent flooding in Guyana. Consecutive governments have buried their heads in the mud, whilst pretending everything is alright.

Agreed. It makes me laugh to see these PPP soupies who come here daily to praise the PPP when the residents of Guyana still use a hole in the ground as their toilet.

Canada donated some portable flush toilets recently.

Portable flush tylit foa flood peeple, yeeaa, nice sh1ttins'. Abie waant some rubba balahoo, natt sh1tters, abie can sh1t just fine tank you. Tell yuh Cyanada peeple abie need rubba balahoo, laang rubba boots, cyan sardines an' channa and nuff nuff Pabst blue ribbon.

quote:

Originally posted by Sledgehammer:

quote:

Originally posted by Mitwah:

quote:

Originally posted by FC:

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.T:
There is just no will power to do anything in order to prevent flooding in Guyana. Consecutive governments have buried their heads in the mud, whilst pretending everything is alright.

Agreed. It makes me laugh to see these PPP soupies who come here daily to praise the PPP when the residents of Guyana still use a hole in the ground as their toilet.

Canada donated some portable flush toilets recently.

Portable flush tylit foa flood peeple, yeeaa, nice sh1ttins'. Abie waant some rubba balahoo, natt sh1tters, abie can sh1t just fine tank you. Tell yuh Cyanada peeple abie need rubba balahoo, laang rubba boots, cyan sardines an' channa and nuff nuff Pabst blue ribbon.

Yuh evuh sit dunk fuh do yuh ting (#2) and teck wurriz dat snake mite bite yuh lolo?