water woes

FARMERS at River Plantation, St Philip are crying out that they have been losing thousands of dollars in crops in recent months.

One farmer told The Barbados Advocate that the lack of access to sufficient water, in addition to the severe dry weather, has caused several farmers to abandon the lands they are leasing from the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) because of the dire situation.

This week, several of the farmers called on The Barbados Advocate to highlight their plight, as they are now faced with the reality that Browne’s Pond, where most of them catch water from to irrigate their crops, is beginning to dry up.

One farmer, who requested anonymity, indicated that the problem is being caused because the Three Houses stream, which runs to the pond, may be blocked and is in need of cleaning.

They said that this is an issue which has been going on for many years, and noted that they are hoping that help is on the way to save their livelihood.
“All of the plants that we have suffering, and as a result, we are losing thousands and thousands of dollars. The plants either drying up, or ain’t producing properly because of lack of water due to the issues with the stream heading into Browne’s Pond. The problem is the blockage and the lack of maintenance of the stream. I can’t plant my cucumbers because I am not getting adequate water,” the farmer said.

The water in the pond is so low that it is barely flowing through a large pipe and into the pump set up by the BADMC.

In fact, Farmer Anthony Singh said if Barbados does not experience heavy rains soon, he believes the pond will fully dry up in a matter of weeks.

“The rain needs to fall to do something to rise up the water in this pond. The water is usually high, but you could walk through this pond now. Me and another farmer come together to try to make something work for ourselves.

“We actually got a pump and we run a line to try to wet our crops how best we can. But, as you can see, the water in the pond is running low, and we are not getting sufficient rain to do anything,” Singh lamented.

He stressed that while others have abandoned their farms, he has decided to try his best to keep his running. However, he noted that this has not been an easy undertaking since he has been losing money, but yet has had to pay his workers.

“It is really frustrating because you can’t get the money because the plants dying. If we don’t get water to our farm by today we in trouble. And right now we are getting some challenges with the pump and just trying to get it work,” Singh added.

When contacted, a representative at BADMC who is aware of the situation told The Barbados Advocate that while the Corporation understands the farmers’ frustration and call for help, BADMC has ensured that it has done its part in cleaning the stream.

“All we try to do is to keep the stream clean, and we try to encourage everybody who pumps from the stream, including those farming on private owned land, to do what they have to do to help keep the stream clean too.

“But with the extreme heat that we are having right now, it is very hard for the farmers. The water in the pond is getting lower all the time. We know it is not easy for the farmers, but all I can say is this is beyond us . . .,” the representative said.
(AH)