Following months of extremely dry weather conditions, Guyana will next month experience increased rainfall, according to forecasts from the local Hydromet Office.
However, while there will be an increase in rainfall, Chief Hydromet Officer Dr Garvin Cummings told this publication that the uncomfortable temperatures will remain.
He explained that El Nino is predicted to end in the first quarter of next year.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has posited that the country has not experienced any serious problems as a result of the drought, in light of the measures that have been put in place by the government.
“All in all, I don’t think we are experiencing any serious problems with the dry spell so far,” he said, noting that there is currently “enough water in the system to take care of our needs”.
“We have enough water in the system but I want to appeal to farmers, I want to appeal to stakeholders and residents generally, we must conserve on our fresh water,” the Agriculture Minister expressed.
A few days ago, President Dr Irfaan Ali posted to his social media page am aerial view photo of the East Demerara Water Conservancy and captioned, “despite the prevailing El Nino conditions, water levels in conservancy currently stands at 56.60 GD and is satisfying the irrigation needs in farming areas served by this reservoir.”
Notwithstanding on Friday last, the Head of State had issued a call for citizens to conserve water, in light of the El Nino conditions.
“What we have seen as a result of the prolonged dry season, the extremely dry season, is that a lot of persons are also going to pipe water for gardens, for farming, for agriculture. They are going to pipe water also for construction purposes…so, I wanted to ask communities, members of the population to be careful with the consumption of water,” the President had expressed.
The President had also revealed that Region One (Barima-Waini) was experiencing reduced water flow from springs, leading to scheduled sectional water deliveries to residents in areas such as Mabaruma, Mathews Ridge, Port Kaituma, Arakaka and Manawain.
In Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Essequibo), static levels of wells have declined significantly, especially in the Kamarang and Jawalla areas, while there was a depletion in surface water sources in areas such as Mahdia, El Paso and Kurukubaru.
“These situations are also being monitored…we don’t have a situation now where it is detrimental to the supply and delivery but, I’m just speaking to the population, engaging you so that we can be aware of what is happening and we can take the necessary action,” President Ali had explained.
Meanwhile, the Head of State had outlined plans for emergency responses, including drilling new wells and rationing measures in critically affected areas, to mitigate the impact of water scarcity on agriculture, livestock, and daily life.
In April of this year, the Hydromet Office had announced that Guyana is expected to see an average level of rainfall during the May-June rainy season but below normal rainfall in July that may likely result in a drought from thereon.
El Nino and La Nina are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide, with El Niño being characterised by warmer temperatures and less rainfall and La Niña denoted by cooler temperatures and heavier rainfall.
Climatologist Komal Dhiram had explained that last year, Guyana was in the La Nina phase and this was reflected by the massive countrywide flooding caused by heavy and consistent rainfall within all administrative regions.
