THE Andrews Sluice on the Essequibo Coast is back in operation after a massive desilting exercise by Ministry of Agriculture excavators mounted on a pontoon in the Atlantic Ocean. The Guyana Chronicle witnessed the lifting of the sluice door last week when water rushed through the newly desilted channel into the ocean.
The irrigation facility, which drains excess water from thousands of acres of rice lands and residential areas, was not functioning for about two years because ‘sling’ mud from the Atlantic had blocked the channel.
The Regional Administration tried many times, without success, to clear the channel but the new approach by the Ministry was successful.
Farmers and other residents expressed their thanks to Government for the reactivation of the mechanism ahead of the upcoming rainy season.