Mahaica River

Last updated
Mahaica River
Guyana physical map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of mouth
Location
Country Guyana
Region Demerara-Mahaica, Mahaica-Berbice
Physical characteristics
Mouth Atlantic Ocean
 • location
 Mahaica
 • coordinates
 6°43′N57°55′W / 6.717°N 57.917°W / 6.717; -57.917

The Mahaica River is a small river in northern Guyana that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The village of Mahaica is found at its mouth.

Contents

It is one of Guyana's principal coastal streams that also forms a rough border between the Demerara-Mahaica region and the Mahaica-Berbice region. The extent of brackish water that has made its way inland has been recorded at 12 miles. The estimated flow in cubic ft. per second is 1,700 (wet season) and 700 (dry season). [1]

The origin of the Mahaica is difficult to trace because its upper watersheds overlap with the lower watersheds of the Demerara and Berbice rivers. The river breaks off into smaller tributaries making it seem "boundless." [2]

Wildlife

The river is a well known bird-watching site, as well as home to other wildlife including river otters, howler monkeys and the Canje Pheasant, Guyana's national bird. 150 species of birds can be found along the Mahaica River. [3]

Economy

Farming is the predominant human use of the lower reaches of the river. Rice is the main crop. [4] The river is prone to flooding. [5]

Bellamy canal was dug in 1954 to connect Mahaica to the Mahaicony River, as a conservancy for the regulation of the river discharge to avoid flooding in the coastal plain rather than the traditional structure of empoldering small ‘islands’ of land. [6] The Rutherford Canal connects Mahaica to Broom Hall. [7]

Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agricultural Development Authority was formed in 1978 as a semi-autonomous agency for encouraging sustainable agricultural development between the Berbice and Mahaica Rivers. Its purpose was to be the executing agency for construction of all drainage and irrigation works in Mahaica-Berbice on the north-eastern Atlantic seacoast. Hope Canal was built to alleviate flooding by redistributing water into the Mahaica. It was conceived after the major 2005 Georgetown flood. [8] When the East Demerara Water Conservancy is at capacity, Lama and Maduni sluices release water into the Mahaica River. [9] In 2011, a boulder wall was built to protect agriculture from flooding during high tides. [10]

In 2020, plans for a luxury mega-project along the river was announced. [11]

Settlements

St. Cuthbert's Mission is a major Amerindian community on the river. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Guyana</span>

The politics of Guyana takes place in a framework of a representative democratic assembly-independent republic, whereby the President of Guyana is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the President, advised by a cabinet. Legislative power is vested in both the President and the National Assembly of Guyana. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regions of Guyana</span> This page intentionally has no description

Guyana is divided into 10 regions:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berbice River</span> River in eastern Guyana

The Berbice River, located in eastern Guyana, is one of the country's major rivers. It rises in the highlands of the Rupununi region and flows northward for 595 kilometres (370 mi) through dense forests to the coastal plain. The river's tidal limit is between 160 and 320 km (99–199 mi) from the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahaica-Berbice</span> Region of Guyana

Mahaica-Berbice is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of East Berbice-Corentyne to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Demerara-Mahaica to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demerara-Mahaica</span> Region of Guyana

Demerara-Mahaica is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Mahaica-Berbice to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the west.

Rosignol is a village on the west bank of the Berbice River in Mahaica-Berbice, Guyana.

The Torani Canal in northeastern Guyana serves to move water from the Berbice River into the Canje River. It was to serve as irrigation for the sugar industry, and subsequently the rice industry.

The Abary River is a small river in northern Guyana that drains into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Mahaicony River is a small river in northern Guyana that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Mahaicony village is found at the mouth of the river.

The Railways of Guyana comprised two public railways, the Demerara-Berbice Railway and the Demerara-Essequibo Railway. There are also several industrial railways mainly for the bauxite industry. The Demerara-Berbice Railway is the oldest in South America. None of the railways are in operation in the 21st century.

Esau and Jacob is a village in the Mahaica-Berbice Region of Guyana. One of the oldest villages on the Mahaicony River, Esau and Jacob was named by Dutch settlers after the pair of twins in the Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahaicony</span> Place in Mahaica-Berbice, Guyana

Mahaicony is a community that is made up of several villages in East Coast Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Guyana. Mahaicony's physical boundaries on the coast is from De Hoop village in the west to Calcutta village in the east.

Belladrum is a small community in the Mahaica-Berbice Region of Guyana, on the Atlantic coast, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) east of Mahaicony.

Governor Light is a small community in the Mahaica-Berbice Region of Guyana. It stands on the coastal plain, at just one metre above sea-level, along the Mahaicony River, approximately 14 kilometres upstream from its mouth. Governor Light is named after Henry Light, the 3rd Governor of British Guiana.

St. Cuthbert's Mission is an Amerindian village on the Mahaica River in the Demerara-Mahaica region of Guyana. It comprises approximately 200 households. St. Cuthbert's is regarded by many people in Guyana as the "cultural capital" for Amerindians.

The East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) is one of Guyana's major water storage and flood control facilities. Over 500,000 residents inhabit the basin that lies below and between the sea wall and the EDWC Dam in a 48 km band from Georgetown to Mahaica. Located in Demerara-Mahaica, the EDWC serves to irrigate thousands of hectares of rice and other crops within this area by storing rain water for dry periods and it also provides one of the primary source of drinking water for the capital city of Georgetown.

Mahaica is a village located in region 4 of Demerara-Mahaica in Guyana. Mahaica is often used as a subregion for the adjoining villages near the Mahaica River like Hand-en-Veldt, Good Hope, Chelsey Park, and Jonestown, which is often referred to as Mahaica or its old Dutch plantation name Voorzigtigheid.

Paradise is a village located in the Demerara-Mahaica region of Guyana, and used to be its regional capital, however the administrative building burnt down in 2006, and the regional capital moved to Triumph.

Fort Wellington is a village located in the Mahaica-Berbice region of Guyana, serving as its regional capital.

The 2005 Georgetown flood was a major flood in and around Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. It started during heavy rains in 2004, and came to a head in January, when sustained heavy rains and high tides over-topped the deteriorating water conservancy. Approximately 290,000 people were affected and the economic impact was estimated to be about US$465 million, or 59% of Guyana's GDP.

References

  1. ↑ Worts, G. F. Jr. (1963). "A Brief Appraisal of Ground-Water Conditions of the Coastal Artesian Basin of British Guiana, South America" (PDF). United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  2. ↑ Vaughn, Sarah E. (2013). "Between a Promise and a Trench: Citizenship, Vulnerability, and Climate Change in Guyana". COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: 145–147. doi:10.7916/D8KD255H . Retrieved 2021-01-18.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ↑ "Wildlife lures nature lovers along Mahaica River". Stabroek News. 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  4. ↑ "Mahaica rice mill gets two-week extension to solve dust problem". Stabroek News. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  5. ↑ "Second phase of Mahaica disaster management project completed". Stabroek News. 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. ↑ "Glimpses of Guyanese History". Stabroek News. 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  7. ↑ "Rebecca's Rust". Stabroek News. 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  8. ↑ "Hope Canal helped to mitigate Region Five flooding – Ramphal". Stabroek News. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  9. ↑ "Climate Change and Floods, the Uninvited Guests of Guyana". Inter Press Service. 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  10. ↑ "$4.3M boulder wall at Mahaica to relieve overtopping". Stabroek News. 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  11. ↑ "US$1.4b luxury project for Mahaica". Stabroek News. 2020-08-29. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  12. ↑ "St Cuthbert's Mission". Stabroek News. 2011-07-31. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
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