…almost half of community’s river rendered impassable – Chairman

The remote farming community of Coomacka, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) continues to be affected by intense erosion. The community, which has also been prone to serious flooding, is now being affected due to erosion of its river. Regional Chairman Renis Morian asserted that as a result of the erosion

which was undoubtedly caused by heavy rains, the situation has become worse, with approximately half of the river becoming impassable.

“There was always erosion going on in Coomacka, affecting the river. During the rains that we have right now, almost half the river is impassable because of erosion,” Morian stated.

He added that officials from the Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) were expected to commence work soon, but noted that during a recent visit, the team could not have ascertained the source of the erosion. The Regional Chairman said however that egional officials had spoken with local residents as a means of ascertaining the source of the situation.

“I’ve engaged the D&I, who would intervene. I’ve met with some folks…,” Morian said. A resident disclosed to this publication that presently the river is being desilted.

Last August, severe downpours had led to the collapse of revetment works, which were carried out on the Coomacka access bridge, causing intense erosion and flooding in the community. The erosion also caused main pipelines to be exposed. Councillor within the Regional Democratic Council and Chairman of the Coomacka Development Council (CDC) Dexter Harding said it was the third time that the bridge had collapsed and pointed to faulty work by the contractor as the main cause. Another possible cause highlighted by the CDC Chairman was the suspected over- topping of ponds/reservoirs in the community belonging to bauxite company Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI).