Twenty-six Orange Grove, Tacarigua farmers are counting their losses from recent floods and are calling on the relevant authorities to rebuild a sluice gate in the area or organise some type of temporary arrangement so they can control the water flow during rains.
The disgruntled farmers gathered on the farmlands yesterday, where they gave the media a tour showing the challenges they are now facing.
Farmer Raju Ramjit said they are now forced to restart their gardens after being hit hard by the flooding. He said their crops of peppers, pimentos and tomatoes to supply the local markets had been wiped out.
Ramjit said because of this, consumers could expect higher prices in the markets.
Ramjit said he and his colleagues are now begging the Government for immediate assistance.
“It start to get worse because of all the compromise in the bank (the Caroni Bank) and sluice gate and everything and for the sluice gate not being opened and closed on time, so it start to become worse,” Ramjit said.
“The sluice gate need to be temporarily rebuilt but for the meantime, what we want is a temporary fix because if rain come tomorrow, it going to just let water back in and probably make it worse where it is there and so with the sluice gate, we need a pump to work with that as well so when it closed we could actually let some water out instead of just keeping water in because Caroni sometimes does remain high 24 to 48 hours and only when that drop only here can open,” he said.
Ramjit said they also need the Caroni River bank repaired, along with other “smaller issues.”
However, he said their main concern remained the flooding.
“Some farmers who are closer to the bank don’t get floods but they can’t access the land as they have no access to the land because the roads are flooded,” he pointed out.
Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally, who was asked to tour the lands with the farmers, said it may be time for legal action.