AGRICULTURE Minister Robert Persaud yesterday assured farmers and residents alike that all systems are in place to avert flooding during the mid-year rainy season.

He told reporters, at a media briefing in his Ministry, that 44 pumps are in operation round-the-clock along East Coast Demerara which, in the past, has been vulnerable to floods.

In addition, Mr. Persaud said defective sluices are being repaired and those in a state of ruin will be recommissioned.

According to him, the many interventions being made are intended to avoid if not prevent inundation and he appealed to the public to cease disposal of refuse in the drainage and irrigation (D&I) systems.

He also asked that any flood, negligence of koker attendants or default in the D&I network be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture on telephone numbers 227-5049, 225-8310 or 225-5005.

Acting Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, Ms. Bhaleka Seulall reported that the La Nina conditions have weakened considerably over the past two months.

She said recent equatorial pacific trends and model forecasts suggest that the current mild La Nina may persist through May to July, with no troubling effects.

Seulall said there are reasonably high possibilities of near normal rainfall this month while the June-July rains are likely to be mainly between normal and above.

“It is expected that the seasonal rainfall should commence shortly, as the cloud band shifts gradually northwards. Extreme southern locations are likely to experience the anticipated wet conditions earlier, while coastal, near inland and central locations are expected to be affected later,” she forecast.

However, Seulall said the rainfall outlook is relevant only for seasonal time scales and over relatively large areas.

“Local and day to day variations will occur. It should be noted that heavy and short duration episodic events are common during this period,” she stated.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Mr. Lionel Wordsworth explained that the situation is being tackled at the administrative level through a collaborative approach and involves several different agencies.

He said that the Regional Chairmen and NDIA Board Directors have compiled a comprehensive programme of drainage works to be undertaken and those have commenced.

Wordsworth said the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) has been tasked with operating and managing the D&I infrastructure within the Mahaica/Mahaicony areas.

He said the NDIA, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and BOSAI have agreed to dredge creeks in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice).

Wordsworth said his agency has deployed engineers to bolster capacity in Regions 10, Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).

The NDIA has also dispatched its fleet of 28 excavators to the various regions and the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) to do critical work, he offered.

Wordsworth said NDIA has created a communication network to enhance monitoring of drainage structures in the mentioned regions and the EDWC.

The Ministry of Agriculture, in preparation for the rainy weather, is providing maintenance for drainage pumps and canals in affected regions and Wordsworth said the construction and repair of earthen embankments, desilting of outfall channels, rehabilitation of intake structures and clearing of waterways are also being done.

To date, he said $85M have been spent in Region Two; $87M in Region Three; $90M in Region Four; $48.3M in Region Five; $82M in Region Six and $26M in Region 10.

Wordsworth said monitoring of the EDWC has intensified to prevent overtopping as well as to minimise the impact of flooding in the upper reaches of the Mahaica/Mahaicony areas.