AS  intense preparations continue for the upcoming rainy season, the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has embarked on a number of interventions to give support to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC). As part of its wider plan, the works will include the dredging of various outfall channels countrywide which, due to the prolonged dry period, were silted up. The Government Information Agency reported that this will allow a more intense gravity flow with greater hydraulic efficiency through the sluices, hence discharging larger volumes of water at low tides.
A pontoon and an excavator have since been provided by the NDIA to carry out the critical works, while the M&CC has provided an additional excavator to assist with desilting. Dredging has since begun at the Cowan Street outfall after which the Kingston outfall will be done.
In addition, major work has began in cleaning and clearing key drainage structures and canals, parapets, weeding bushes along and around canals and clearing of critical drains and trenches around the city, through the NDIA’s Community Drainage and Irrigation Project.
Works have since commenced in Meadow Bank, Kingston, East, West and North Ruimveldt and East La Penitence respectively.
Assistance was also given to the M&CC to ensure that both the Liliendaal and Kitty pump stations remain operational through rehabilitation works at a cost of $140M. This is to ensure that the station increases its discharge capacity to further ensure a more comprehensive drainage system.
The NDIA in the past has always been supportive of the M&CC and has deployed mobile drainage pumps to various sites along with the excavation of drainage canals in areas such as Sophia and Turkeyen and the Downer Canal.
The NDIA is urging communities to desist from dumping garbage into drains and trenches since this practice could lead to blockage, resulting in flooding.