The houses of thousands of residents in about 35 villages in the interior of Suriname have been under water for more than 2.5 months. It could be weeks before residents can return. The water problems are the result of the excessive rainfall and the lack of the dry season. As a result, there are also major problems with a dam, from which water is released to prevent it from collapsing. This draining causes extra flooding for surrounding villages.
Experts, including meteorologists and the Surinamese state company Staatsolie, which owns the dam, expect that the flooding in the hinterland of Suriname will not be over until around June. Until then, Staatsolie will have to regularly open the scuppers of the dam to prevent the water level in the reservoir from becoming too high. This is important because too much water could cause a dam rupture with greater consequences.
The necessary blow-down has major consequences for the residents of the Brokopondo and Saramacca districts. According to Jerry Slijngard, coordinator of the National Coordination Center for Disaster Management (NCCR), about 12,000 people from about 35 villages have been affected by the floods so far. The vast majority have chosen not to leave home and hearth. About three hundred people have moved temporarily, according to Slijngard.
Aid actions for food and clean rainwater
The NCCR has been in action since March to provide the people of the villages with packages of food and other necessities. The food is needed because many crops, such as cassava, ginger and sweet potato, have been drowned. They cannot withstand being submerged in water for a long time.
The aid organization will also bring about thirty large water tanks to the areas in the coming weeks so that residents can collect clean rainwater. The army, police and local administrators help with the emergency services.
Frustration due to lack of preparation and communication
However, dissatisfaction among the affected residents is still widespread. Their greatest frustration is that Staatsolie did not prepare them for the discharge in March, so that they were unable to make any preparations. In recent years there has been better communication, according to Slijngard. “Until two years ago, Suralco (subsidiary of the American Alcoa, ed.) owned the dam. Now the government in the person of Staatsolie owns it.
The company has not apologized, but has acknowledged a lack of communication. Staatsolie has now taken on all costs of just under 25,000 euros per month,” says Slijngard.