Guyana has enough water to withstand dry season- Agri. Minister

Guyana is experiencing warmer and drier conditions now, as part of the El Niño period, but Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha says the country has enough water in storage.

Mustapha told reporters on Monday that the local authorities have stored freshwater and are monitoring water use and storage levels to guarantee that there is enough water to last throughout the dry season.

“We are working together to monitor the situation.

“We are trying to maximise the use of water… I am hoping that with the plan we have, we will not run out of freshwater,” he said.

Already though, cash crop farmers are demanding more water for their crops. Mustapha noted that these farmers require extra supplies because their plants require extra water to cope with the intense heat.

Still, Mustapha believes that water is being adequately managed.

Further, he said the local authorities are also preparing for the sowing of the next rice crop. When this crop is planted, huge amounts of water are usually required. So Mustapha said the authorities have been very diligent in managing water levels so that this crop isn’t badly affected by any possible shortages.

“…we’ll have the rice crops starting again and we’ll need a lot of water for the rice crop.

“So that is why in our conservancies and other areas where we are storing water, we have enough water for the system,” Mustapha said.

In April, Climatologist Komal Dhiram predicted that Guyana will experience a drought this year.

A drought is generally a deficit in rainfall quantities. And those deficits usually start in small quantities and gradually get larger.

It is not yet known when this period will end but Dhiram assured the public that the hydromet service will issue monthly forecasts so that stakeholders are kept apprised of the weather conditions expected.