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NDIA to rehabilitate 63 sluices nationwide– Min. Mustapha
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha inspecting a drainage pump
Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Agriculture through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will soon commence major rehabilitation work on sixty-three (63) sluices across Guyana’s coast.
This was disclosed by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar during a community meeting at Korthberaadt Village on the East Bank of Berbice, the ministry said in a press release. Minister Mustapha told residents that approximately US$40M will be expended to rehabilitate the structures in keeping with the government’s flood risk management efforts.
“We have a programme with the World Bank that will see sixty-three sluices across the country being rehabilitated. That project will commence shortly. The project sum is about US$40 million and the procurement process is expected to commence in July. There are a number of sluices in Black Bush Polder that will be rehabilitated as part of that project, one being the Pepper Sluice at Cumberland. That is a major drainage area. Sluices in New Amsterdam, Corentyne, and across the Coast will also undergo rehabilitation work. We will also be acquiring dredges to clear outfalls,” he explained.
While responding to issues about drainage Minister Mustapha told residents that the government was working to ensure that citizens receive maximum benefit from the resources being made available. He also said that rehabilitation works on the Korthberaadt crown dam are ongoing.
“We will continue to make the interventions and make the resources available. For 40 years no work was done on the crown dam. We are now doing that. As soon as we get a break in the weather again well continue those works,” he added.
Meanwhile, during a site visit to the pump station at Adventure on the Corentyne Coast, Minister Mustapha disclosed that the pump station will be commissioned in the coming weeks. He said that approximately $448M was expended to construct the pump station which is outfitted with two large pumps with the capacity to drain 300 cu sec per minute.
The minister also met with farmers and residents from #52- #74 Villages. During that meeting, he said that works have commenced on the internal drainage channels for the Hope-like canal on the Corentyne Coast.
“We are doing a massive drainage system across the country. Works have commenced with the high-level Hope-like canal in the # 51 – # 52 Village area. The embankment from #66 to Canje has started and very shortly the second phase of the project from Lancaster will be awarded so that the entire project can move forward,” Minister Mustapha said.
He also told the farmers that clearing and maintenance work would be done on several canals in the region. He noted that most of those canals were cleared but no maintenance was done and that the NDIA is in the process of developing a maintenance programme to ensure those canals are properly maintained. Minister Mustapha also met with farmers from Lesbeholden and disclosed that the seed paddy facility is expected to become operable in the coming months. He said that once the facility is operable, it will have the capacity to produce 6,000 bags of seed paddy per crop.
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