Moraikobai to permanently relocate some residents to higher ground - toshao

Cognisant that severe flooding will be a recurring disaster as a result of climate change, the Village Council of Moraikobai in Region Five is putting plans in place to permanently relocate residents who were severely affected to higher ground.

Despite being located on a plateau, the entire community was affected by severe flooding caused by torrential rains combined with the overtopping of the Mahaicony River. Based on assessments done by the Village Council, approximately 1,200 to 1,500 residents have been affected by the flooding with 200 households feeling the full brunt of the disaster.

Moraikobai’s Toshao, Derrick John said that this year’s flooding is the worst in the community’s history as even the homes and farms located on the plateau were affected. He explained that the houses located at the bottom of the plateau which is along the riverbank are the ones that have been severely affected. However, he pointed out that with the expectation that the water levels in the river will rise during the wet season, villagers had built houses on stilts to avoid flooding but this did not save them this year.

Having personally witnessed the devastation caused by the flooding, John added, it is clear that a strong recovery plan is needed to avoid recurrences especially considering climate change and the more severe weather patterns. The last time the community battled major flooding was in 2005, the Toshao recalled, but even then it was not as severe as this year.

According to John, waters extended way beyond the community. “From what I have seen, if we have to relocate the entire community, we will still have to deal with some amount of flooding. Moraikobai is basically on a plateau and majority of the land and its surrounding environment was affected, so where will we go?” he asked.

In addition to that, he said, it would be quite expensive and difficult to relocate an entire community. Even if relocation was an option, he noted, it would be a difficult task to convince residents who have invested heavily in their homes hence the need for a strategic approach.

Despite continuing on and off flooding in the community, John disclosed that the Village Council has already begun planning the recovery process with the permanent relocation of those living along the river banks a key part of their plans.

John said that he has already spoken with a few of the families and recommended that permanent relocation to higher ground would be the best option for them in the long-term while explaining that severe flooding might become more common because of climate change.

Given the situation, many have already indicated that relocation might be the best option, John said, before adding that the Village Council will make land available to facilitate the process and try to provide assistance in that regard.

Heavy rain in the community is still continuing. John said that rain would fall for days and water levels would rise leaving the community flooded, then the rain would stop and the water would recede after which the process would repeat itself.

“So basically, the flooding is on and off but it is not as severe as last month,” John said.

The village council continues to work alongside the Regional Democratic Council of Region Five and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in providing much needed assistance to the persons affected. Just last week, a team from the CDC and the village council went to assess the situation in Lower Moraikobai where residents are currently faced with a water shortage.

According to John the CDC recommended that black tanks be installed in the community to capture rainwater for domestic use. A team from the Guyana Water Incorporated will also be visiting the area today to figure out what can be done to address the issue.

Apart from that, John said, life is slowly returning to some normalcy for many families but acknowledged that it would be some time before the community fully recovers from the effects of the flooding. At this stage, a comprehensive assessment of the damage is still to be done but hundreds of farms have been destroyed, John said.

Moraikobai and its two satellite villages termed Lower Moraikobai were inundated for more than three weeks in June. The destruction of crops and livestock has resulted in almost everyone depending on the relief supplies that have been donated to the community but this is not expected to last very long especially considering that the rains have restarted.

John said any assistance provided will be welcomed by residents in the community.

Moraikobai is only one of dozens of communities in Region Five that have been affected by the flooding.