–?? ?Govt. forced to release water ?Residents of the Upper East Coast Demerara region are bracing themselves for what could be some harsh times, following the decision to open the Maduni Sluice to release water from the East Demerara Conservancy.This crucial decision was announced by Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy in the midst of heavy rains which have left the East Demarara Water Conservancy at a precarious level.“With deep regrets this morning (Tuesday),Wholesale Jerseys From China, I informed the President of Guyana and the Civil Defence Commission of my decision to support the recommendation of the EDWC Commission to open the Maduni Sluice to release water from the East Demerara Conservancy,” the agriculture minister said in a statement.This is the latest of the actions that the ministry has taken to maintain the conservancy at a safe level.According to the minister, due to continuous rainfall resulting from a mild La Ni?a weather phenomenon, the level of water in the East Demerara Water Conservancy is still rising.As a last resort,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the Commission of EDWC has taken the decision to have a controlled release of water through the Mahaica Creek, via the Maduni outlet, so as to ensure the integrity of the EDWC dams.Water was released via the Maduni sluice at low tides.Excess water continues to be evacuated from the EDWC into the Demerara River via the five-door sluice at Land of Canaan and outlets at Kofi and Cunha sluices.“Releases from these outlets remain our first choice and we will continue to release from these outlets. As soon as it is possible, we will stop releases from the Maduni and rely exclusively on the Demerara River outlets,” the minister stated.Given the decision of the EDWC Commission to release water through the Maduni, the Ministry of Agriculture is urging that all precautions be taken to ensure that the discharge of water into the Atlantic via the Maduni does not acutely aggravate an already rising Mahaica Creek, due to the high level of rainfall in the Mahaica/Mahaicony catchment areas which flow into the various creeks and rivers.When this newspaper visited the East Coast of Demerara yesterday, rainfall water was still rising in several communities,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, including the Cane Grove Backlands; Supply, Mahaica; Clonbrook; Bee Hive and Bare Roots, Bachelor’s Adventure.Residents of Cane Grove told this newspaper that they have already suffered significant losses of crops and livestock in the backlands, although the actual village showed little signs of flooding.But a few miles away at Supply, Mahaica, the residents there lamented the absence of medical personnel to deal with what they fear could be a disastrous situation.This newspaper observed several dead animals in overflowing trenches and flooded yards, even as young boys deliberately waded through the water while playing a game of cricket.One resident pointed out that he wished the authorities would visit the entire village and not just tour the pump area, since they will not get the true picture of their suffering.In Clonbrook, although there were fears that the conservancy had been breached because of the dark appearance of flood water there, no such occurrence was confirmed. However residents were hoping for an end to the persistent rain since the water in the community was continually rising.The same can be said of Bare Roots and Dazzell Housing Schemes, where most yards and streets were covered with water.According to the Ministry of Agriculture,Jerseys China Wholesale, in most of the places where they measured the rainfall,Cheap NHL Jerseys, the amount for January 2012 has surpassed by several fold,Cheap China Jerseys, the long term average for the month.Several pumps along the East Demerara coastline were already in operation prior to yesterday while there were moves to install a few more in vulnerable areas. The Ministry said that the ongoing construction of the East Demerara Water Conservancy Northern Relief Channel at Hope/Dochfour, when completed, will prevent the use of Lama and Maduni to discharge and put communities under threat.“In addition, residents in the upper reaches of the Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks are advised to be on the alert and to take necessary precautions with the release of water to prevent any pressure on the dam,” the Ministry said.The average level of the East Demerara Water Conservancy is 57.6 GD, which is just above the full supply level of 57.5 GD. The height of the Conservancy Dam is 59 GD.Citizens are advised that the La Ni?a phenomenon still persists over Guyana. This condition will persist until the end of March 2012. During this pe