[www.inewsguyana.com] – A severe dry spell has left residents and miners of Region One (Barima-Waini) questioning their next move as water along rivers and creeks are almost dried up and continue to evaporate at an alarming rate.
The water level in the main creek in the savannah which is used by residents, farmers, gold miners and fishermen has dropped very low.
This is proving to be especially bothersome to miners and businessmen who use the very waterways as a daily means of transport for goods and human resource.
The areas worst affected include Moruca, Dark Bush and 99 Turns.Other areas affected include: Warapokia, Assakata, Kwebanna and Santa Cruz.
iNews understands that boats powered by large outboard engines have to travel at a very slow pace along the creek. Boats navigating Dark Bush and 99 Turns are stuck many times because of the shallow water and exposed logs and tree branches at the bottom of the river.
Only last Saturday, a group of miners traveling to Barama was stranded for several hours after their boat loaded with groceries, engines, pumps and other equipment ran aground in the shallow river water.
It is understood that the miners had no alternative but to go into the water and push their boat along the wood infested creek to deeper water in the Bara Bara River.
Some miners have also said that they are finding it very difficult to cross Dark Bush and 99 Turns during the dry weather and are calling for the area to be dredged.They said it is very hard manual work to get their boats across when traversing the Barama mining district.
However in all of this, the residents of Waramuri, Manawarin,Kamwatta, Parakee,Mora, Seven Miles,Kumaka, Wallaba, Assakata, Haimaracaba , Haimaruni and Warapoka have taken advantage of the low water levels to increase fishing activities.
