$650M Canal pump station to be completed soon

Apr 23, 2024 News

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha and a technical team inspecting the pump station at Canal Number One in Region Three

Kaieteur News – As construction accelerates on a pump station at Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara in Region Three, farmers and residents are poised to benefit from improved drainage and irrigation (D&I) access.

The $650 million pump station is slated for completion within three months. The development is part of a broader initiative to enhance D&I infrastructure in the region, which also includes projects at Belle Vue, A-Line sluice, and Meten-Meer-Zorg.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha inspected the Canal Number One pump station Saturday last, where he announced the project’s completion date, among other interventions.

When completed, the pump station will feature two mechanically driven pumping units, each capable of discharging 150 cubic feet of water per second. A total of 19 pump stations are under construction nationwide and Minister Mustapha remains optimistic about the operationalisation of these pump stations by mid-2025. Apart from the ongoing construction and rehabilitation of existing drainage and irrigation infrastructure, the government also plans to replicate the success of the Hope Canal at East Coast Demerara, across Regions Three, Five, and Six.

“We also will be building a Hope-like canal in this area by the B-Line structure. It is a mega project that will help to drain the system. This area is a large agricultural area for us and we are trying to put systems in place to mitigate flooding in the future,” the agriculture minister underscored.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth, emphasised that these projects represent a nationwide comprehensive drainage improvement programme. Works will also advance on pump stations at Charity, Cottage, Cozier, Jimbo Grove, and Letter Kenny, with additional investments planned for pump stations at Chesney, Farm, Grove South, and Little Diamond. Several other drainage improvement projects in various communities are currently in the tendering stage.

These projects include the construction of a guest house at Lama; East Conservancy Water Dam in Region Four, estimated at $8.9 million, and the rehabilitation of Sukhram Cross Drainage Channel from Number 52 Dam to Number 66 Main Dam, Corentyne, Region Six, estimated at $13.9 million. Works will also include the rehabilitation of a 30km access road in Ebini/Kimbia, Region Ten, with an estimated cost of $394 million, and the construction of an access road at Canal Number Two Conservancy Dam, West Bank Demerara, costing approximately $145.7 million.

Residents along the Corentyne in Region Six will benefit from the rehabilitation of the Number Two drainage pump at Ankerville pump station, estimated at $38.4 million. Additionally, $167.5 million is budgeted for the construction of a sluice and revetment work at Blenheim in Leguan, and $16.3 million is allocated for the upgrade of Flagstaff Road at East Conservancy Water Dam in Region Three. Furthermore, Somerset and Berks Co-op Pastureland in Essequibo, Region Two, will be developed at an estimated cost of $27 million, and $22.4 million will be invested to rehabilitate Hackney Canal in the Lower Pomeroon River in Region Two. (DPI)

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Canal, completed, Minister of Agriculture, pump station, Zulfikar Mustapha

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