Contract signed for dredging of Pomeroon River mouth

Apr 13, 2022 News

– engineer says this must be frequent for it to be effective in mitigating flooding

Six agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday signed a total of 35 contracts to the tune of $1,359,795,148 for a number of projects as part of the ministry’s 2022 capital programme.
The biggest of the contract, worth over half a billion dollar, went to Gaico Construction Company for the dredging of the mouth of the Pomeroon River. Government said this project which will cost some $569.3M will mitigate flooding in the area.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said that “the dredging of the Pomeroon River mouth is a major project. You know the Pomeroon is prone to flooding. When those works are done, coupled with the continued block-drainage programme that continues this year, flooding in this area will be mitigated.”
Only recently in response to a letter from a resident of Pomeroon complaining about incessant flooding, engineer, Charles Sohan had said that the estuary of the Pomeroon River is constantly being silted by mud-banks moving along Guyana’s coastland in an E-W direction and sediments in suspension are also being discharged by the River at its mouth as its fresh water mixes with the ocean’s salt water.
He said the crops grown along the banks of the River – citrus, coffee, coconuts, avocados, etc. cannot withstand any kind of flooding and therefore the cultivated areas have to be flood free if they are to be productive and profitable.
Sohan also noted in his letter that climate change is causing more intense rainfall in tropical Guyana including the Pomeroon with accompanying larger volumes of water being discharged from river catchments into the oceans.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha with the contract awardees yesterday.

He said to assist Pomeroon farmers to cope with these adverse environmental changes and protect their lands from recurring flooding, several improvements have to be made. First, he said the arable lands have to be protected with bunds and the River’s banks raised above their estimated flood levels.
Secondly, sluices/kokers should be installed on the banks of the River to drain the farmlands of excess water when water levels between the River and inland drains are favourable to allow for outward gravity flows.
“When this is not possible, installed standby pumps take over to drain the lands of their excess water thereby protecting the valuable crops from flooding. This method has proven successful elsewhere along coastal Guyana. Skeptics may claim otherwise since occasional flooding has occurred on some farmlands and even in Georgetown but this was not due to the system’s failure per se but to inadequate design, lack of maintenance, languid operation and poor management.”
As it relates to dredging Sohan did note that this is expensive as an investment for economic returns from farming. Further, he said dredging has to be a recurring operation for it to be effective.

Scenes from yesterday’s contract signing exercise.

Meanwhile, overseeing the signing of the contracts was Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha who told a gathering that the projects are aimed at enhancing and improving the agriculture infrastructure in the country. “We know for a fact that now Guyana is leading the agriculture food system in the Caribbean and we will be hosting an Agriculture Investment Forum not too long from now, the 19th to 21st of May, that means a lot of investors will be coming to Guyana to invest in the agriculture sector. So we have to have the infrastructure in place. So many of these works that we will be signing are necessary for us to enhance our agriculture sector,” he explained.
Before the contracts were signed with the respective agencies, Minister Mustapha told contractors that “I hope that when we go to manage the works it is completed in a timely basis.”
The six agencies that signed contracts were the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA), the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Fisheries, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).
At the Ministry’s boardroom, MMA/ADA signed a contract with Farm Supplies Limited to the tune of $71,700,000 for the supply, delivery and testing of two super long reach hydraulic excavators; a contract worth $19,250,000 with Guyana Tractor & Equipment for the supply, delivery and testing of one new tractor; and the rehabilitation of the MMA/ADA Seed Processing Facility with DBL Group for $24,113,642.
GuySuCo signed two contracts, one with General Equipment Guyana Limited worth $143,155,423 for the supply and delivery of two complete sets of land leveling equipment, and with Triveni Turbine to the tune of $53,483,500 for the supply and delivery of one single stage steam turbine for the Uitvlugt Factory.
GMC signed two contracts with Farm Supplies Limited- one for the supply and delivery of a generator for the agency worth $8,500,000 and the other for the supply and delivery of a forklift for the agency for the tune of $12,882,000. The Corporation also signed contracts with Webster Engineering & Consultancy to the tune of $13,593,500 for the supply and delivery of an agro- processing equipment for White Water Creek located in Region One and another with National Refrigeration for $5,651,200 for the supply and delivery of chiller for GMC.
The Fisheries Department signed three contracts totalling $20,776,869 with General Marine Company for the supply and delivery of HDPE pipes for Brakish Water Shrimp Project. NAREI signed two contracts, one with CB & Associates Inc. to the sum of $8,994,600 for the execution of geotechnical investigation along foreshores of Perth to Paradise, Essequibo Coast, and the other with Digital Technology Group & Company Inc. for $8,884,325 and this is for the supply, delivery and installation of computer server for NAREI.
Out of the 35 contracts, NDIA signed 20. In addition to the dredging of the Pomeroon River- NDIA also signed contracts with BS Narine & Sons to the tune of $56,153,600 for the construction of access road at Onderneeming, Region Two; S. Jagmohan Construction & General Supplies Inc. to the tune of $52,564,000 for the rehabilitation of NDIA pontoons in Regions Two, Six and 10. A contract was also awarded to Advanced Engineering to the sum of $67,714,970 for the construction of NDIA office and living quarters and another with Kascon Engineering Service to the tune of $29,576,310 for the construction of irrigation structure and rehabilitation of flood embankment at Kartberaad Mara, East Bank Berbice.
Three contracts worth $35,485,000 were signed with A&S General Store for empoldering of farmlands in the Upper Pomeroon River, while two were signed with S&J Services and Supplies for $27,023,000 for the same project. Similarly, Adamantium Holdings was awarded three contracts to the tune of $38,280,000 for empoldering of farmlands in the Lower Pomeroon River, while A&S General Store was awarded the same project for $13,360,000 and Arabzee Trading for the same contract to the tune of $13,654,200.
The empoldering of farmlands in Supenaam Creek project was awarded to Zaiboon Nesha Investments to the tune of $13,419,866, A.Nazier & Son Contracting and General Supplies for $7,932,240 and Wild Oats Civil and Mechanical Engineering to the sum of $12,391,160. Paramlall Goberdhan Contracting was awarded a contract of $12, 875,240 for the empoldering of farmlands in Bethany Creek.
Lastly, SRKN’gineering & Associates Limited was awarded a $10,594,000 for foundation and installation of storage plant for corn and soya beans.