– to significantly improve D&I in the area
As the Agriculture Ministry and its Sub-agency the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) continue to place major emphasis on the development of key drainage structures countrywide Minister Robert yesterday inspected the soon to be completed three-door sluice and canal. The $165M sluice and $47.5M canal, located on the right bank of the Mahaicony River, is one of the Ministry’s major projects to assist residents in the areas. It will also take a significant amount of pressure and overtopping off the Mahaicony Creek.
“We are creating a totally new separate partial canal that will run on the right bank of the Mahaicony creek, and so a new canal is being dug that will come into this new structure here and then flow into the mouth of the Mahaicony creek.”
The project, expected to be completed in time for the end-of-year rainy season, will offer the Ministry a greater degree of comfort in managing floods within that zone.
“This is a massive structure that we have here, in terms of the sluices that are linked at a very long canal. For us this will significantly reduce the vulnerability of not only the Mahaicony creek residents, but also those farmers in the Burma area.”
This is one of the major areas in terms of adapting to climate change and according to the Agriculture Minister, instead of only doing the patch work approach, the Ministry is looking at much more strategic interventions.
Persaud said that the initiative is timely, since the vulnerability of the Mahaica Creek still remains high, and this will help reduce the weaknesses while allowing for additional lands to be cultivated.(GINA)