Weather conditions are so harsh that even the Great Icacos Lagoon has dried up.
Usually, the saltwater marshes are filled with water at least four feet deep but since last month, the water in lagoon began to evaporate because of hot weather conditions.
The giant anacondas which live in the lagoon have disappeared. Residents said the snakes usually wait for rainfall and high tides to fill the marshes before they begin to show up.
When Guardian Media visited the lagoon on Wednesday, cracks were seen throughout the lagoon. Skeletal remains of dead fish and shells were seen scattered across the mud. The remains of an old wooden bridge usually covered in water were now visible.
Councillor for Cedros Shankar Teeklucksingh said this year’s drought-like conditions made the marshes dry up earlier than usual. He said a few years ago, the lagoon went dry and it remained that way for several weeks.
He noted that the drying up of the lagoon allowed residents to clean the marshes so that it could once more attract more of bird watchers, fishmongers and lagoon paddlers during the wet season.
“We have picked up three truckloads of debris from the marshes. An eco-group in Icacos has been leading the way to clean the lagoon. It is one of the best tourist attractions in Icacos,” Teelucksingh said.
Neil Sookram, who has been spearheading the clean-up of the lagoon, said the project started last April. Both lagoons are about four square kilometres each.
“We were happy to have two clean-up campaigns at the wetlands. We pitched a tent and we had volunteers use the opportunity to clean the wetlands,” Sookram said.
He said 75 people responded to the first project and two weeks later they also cleaned the San Jose lagoon which is located a short distance away.
“A total of 32 people came and helped. This time it was easier to clean because of the dry conditions. There have been sightings of anacondas nearing the coast but we were lucky we did not see any in the swamp,” he said.
Sookram said he has set up a Facebook page called For love of the Environment. He said litter wardens needed to be stationed near the lagoons to prevent further dumping of garbage.