Latest update November 13th, 2024 1:00 AM
Government commissions $445M Sluice at D’Edward, West Berbice
Residents of West Berbice (Region 5) are happy with the commissioning of a new $445M sluice. The sluice which is situated at D’Edward Village will benefit approximately 5000 residents and farmers.
Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder along with Chief Executive Officer of NDIA Frederick Flatts and a student of Rosignol Secondary, Commission the sluice at D’Edward.
It will now make flooding in the region a thing of the past. The new four-door sluice is a tremendous boost to infrastructural works in the region and replaces an old three-door sluice which was in a dilapidated condition. The sluice is capable of draining 16,000 acres of land and pumping over 6000 gallons of water per second.
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, stated that the new sluice was constructed to cater for future developments of the region. It signals the government’s commitment to developing regional agriculture and boosting village economies.
“Region Five is the largest rice-producing region in Guyana, producing 45 percent of paddy annually. From Number No 27 Village to D’Edward, West Coast Berbice, there are about 500 rice farmers who
cultivated approximately 11,500 acres in the last crop.
“They will directly benefit from this investment.”
The Minister said that in 2019 alone, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the MMA-ADA, invested $846Million to continue implementing the upgrading and rehabilitating of drainage and irrigation
systems and land administration in Region Five.
He assured residents that the government “remains committed to flood risk management for the economic and social well-being of the Guyanese people.”
Chief Executive Officer of National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Frederick Flatts, said the sluice in conjunction with other sluices and pump station serves an area of approximately 48,000 acres of residential and agricultural land.
“All of this is being done to improve drainage in this area. We look forward to a time when we would hardly see flooding in the area.
“Through planning, when we talk about reducing flooding it is not mere talk, it is a real attempt to reduce flooding,” Flatts mentioned.
Farmers heaped praised on the government for the construction of the new sluice. This is a blessing for us in the region, and will make life much easier.
The project was completed at a total cost of $445 M. The designed was done by SRK Engineering at a cost of $13.7M and supervised by E&A consultants for $16.7M. The sluice was constructed by Courtney Benn Construction Services Limited.
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