Agri. Ministry to spend an estimated $68M for drainage works at Mahaicony

Oct 23, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Slated to rehabilitate the drainage systems at Bonasika in Region Three and at Bartica, Region Seven for an estimated cost of $194 million, the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) is also preparing to spend some $68 million on another set of drainage works at Mahaicony, Region Five.

This is according to an advertisement placed in the daily newspaper inviting contractors to bid for the project which the Ministry stated is being divided into eight lots.

According to the invitation for bids, Lot one is slated to see the rehabilitation of the earthen dam and drainage channel at E &J left bank Mahaicony River for an estimated cost of $8,140,000; lot two will see rehabilitation of the earthen dam only within the E & J area, left bank Mahaicony for an estimated cost of $7,235,000, whereas, at Lot three, rehabilitative works will be done at the earthen dam within the Church Hill area, left bank Mahaicony River for an estimated cost of $14,650,000.

Lot four comprises of works at Park Mahaicony. Rehabilitation will be done to the access dam and drainage and irrigation channel for an estimated cost of $7,120,000. At Lot five, works will be carried out within the Gordon Table Cultivation area at 2^nd Depth right bank Mahaicony for the rehabilitation of the earthen dam and drainage channel for an estimated cost of $6,130,000 and at Lot six, rehabilitation of the earthen dam and drainage channel at Dantzig is pegged at $4,800,000.

As it relates to Lot seven, rehabilitation of the drainage and irrigation channels and installation of HDPE tubes will be done at Domino Co-Op Farm, Ithaca for an estimated cost of $5,734,000m while at Lot eight the Ministry is looking to construct an earthen embankment at Domino Co-Op Farm, Ithaca for an estimated cost of $14,600,000.

The projects which are estimated to cost $68,409,000 in total will be opened on November 15, 2022 at the Ministry of Agriculture main office. As reported on, in this year’s budget the government had put aside a total of $13 billion to upgrade drainage and irrigation systems across the country while out of that $1 billion was allocated for the procurement of 37 new mobile pumps.

Kaieteur News had reported in August, that the NDIA Chairman, Lionel Wordsworth during an outreach at Dundee, Mahaicony told residents that the government’s plan of upgrading the drainage system in that region is to tackle the issue of flooding.

The Chairman had explained that between the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Block, the backlands are not adequately protected like in Region Four where the water is held back by the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EWDC). As a consequence, Wordsworth said that when these areas experience rainfall, at levels equivalent to that of mid last year’s, the water overrides the swollen rivers and downstream flooding occurs.

In this regard, he said that the NDIA had compiled a list of proposals, one of which will be to construct a flood embankment from the Joe Hook area to the Baibo Canal in Mahaica which will lead to a current embankment. A second phase of this project will take the water to another location to add further protection.

In addition, he said, “We proposed a new outlet to be added at Dantzig. This would entail cutting across the road, upgrading channels, constructing new sluice and pump stations like what we currently doing at Cottage so the work at Cottage and what we propose at Dantzig, they will complement each other.” This project alone would control some 8,400 acres of flood affected lands. Meanwhile, Mahaicony will see a flood embankment being constructed from First Point to the Abary River. The government, he said is also planning to dredge the mouths of the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Rivers.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News