Water level in Middle Mazaruni dropped but residents unable to restart farming, economic activities

Floodwaters in communities in the Middle Mazaruni area, Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni) have receded after residents grappled with intense flooding over the past few weeks but Regional Chairman, Kenneth Williams, said that many of the residents are concerned about their livelihoods.

Earlier this week, Williams and other regional officials, in addition to members of HIAS – an international non-governmental organisation that works with migrants – visited several of the Middle Mazaruni communities. There, the focus was on providing food and cleaning supplies to the affected residents.

According to the chairman, who spoke with the News Room on Friday, it takes about five hours by speedboat to travel to Kangarooma, one of the Middle Mazaruni communities.

“We have seen a reduction in the water level, in some cases 10 feet in some places five feet, but the issue that keeps coming back and back again is how do these people restart, how do these people get back to some level of normalcy?” Williams questioned while providing an update on the situation.

He explained that a number of the residents are involved in farming and fishing activities. But, their livelihood has been impacted by the severe flooding.  Now, even as the floodwaters have receded, these residents cannot resume their economic activity since their farmlands are flooded and their supplies have been damaged.

In the short term, he said that the residents are in need of stems to resume their cassava farming and long boots to allow them to access the farmlands and begin replanting. Additionally, he said that fishing lines are needed.

“For now, they would need to start gathering these things and start re-engaging their mind on how they can get back to the farmlands, how they can get back to the shops and replant and start all over again,” he emphasised.

Additionally, the regional chairman highlighted that residents are concerned about the threat of water-borne diseases in the wake of the flooding.