Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein says Woodland farmers can apply for State land if they want to relocate from their farmlands, which become inundated by flooding every year.
His response came following an appeal from farmers for alternative lands and the clearance of waterways in the South Oropouche Basin by the Works Ministry.
Cattle farmer Phagoo Dan last week said the malfunctioning 14 floodgates at St John’s Trace and the floodgate at Tulsa Trace, Penal, are destroying the Woodland pastures and seven of his cows had already died because they drank salt water.
Expressing sympathy for the farmers, Hosein advised them to “engage with their local county offices for personalised assistance and guidance specific to their needs”. He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to supporting the agricultural community and exploring solutions within existing policies and regulations, saying detailed information is available on the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF) website.
However, Hosein noted that the availability of State land for agricultural purposes depends on various factors such as land use planning and environmental considerations. He emphasised that any potential relocation efforts would be carefully evaluated to ensure sustainability and viability for affected farmers.
Meanwhile, Minister of Planning Penelope Beckles also responded to a call from Penal/Debe Regional Corporation chairman Gowtam Maharaj to provide an update on the US$10 million grant which was given to the government to mitigate flooding in the Oropouche Drainage Basin.
Known as the Multi-Sectoral Adaptation Measures to Climate Change in the South Oropouche River Basin (SORB) for Flood Relief Project, Beckles said the objective of this project was to increase the resilience of the South Oropouche River Basin’s population and ecosystems to flooding, sea level rise, and expected increasing water deficit events.
She said this project was funded by the Adaptation Fund and was launched in September 2023 with a duration of four years.
“Currently, the project is in the preparatory stages. To date, the preparatory activities undertaken by the University of the West Indies are drafting of Terms of Reference (ToR) for the conduct of preparatory surveys for data collection and the piloting of a “train the trainer” initiative aimed at empowering farmers to address climate-related risks,” Beckles revealed.
She said there was also preparatory work for the development of Request for Proposals for the expansion and upgrade of weather, tidal, and hydrological monitoring systems in the region, as well as completion of the SORB website, which is expected to provide updates on the project implementation.
“The annual operational plan and the procurement plan guiding the project’s execution until September 2024 are being currently implemented,” she explained.
Over the past year, farmers have been calling on the Ministry of Works to desilt the Oropouche River. Since the river banks were breached, the plains have been flooded. The floodgates have allowed salt water to infiltrate the marshes, causing livestock to die.
Minister of Works Rohan Sinanan was contacted to comment on works done on the rivers but to date, there has been no response.
The South Oropouche River, once over 50 feet deep, has now been reduced to a two-foot-deep channel, making it impassable to fishermen during low tide.
South Oropouche Riverine Flood Action Group president Edward Moodie said over 300 acres of pastures and 165 acres of arable agricultural land are being destroyed because of saltwater intrusion.