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THE Ministry of Agriculture has been reviewing the performance and outcome of the Community Drainage and Irrigation Program (CDIP ), and is of the view that the management of the programme needs to be strengthened for greater effectiveness and efficiency. Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy made this disclosure yesterday in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, when he outlined the shortcomings of this initiative and the steps taken to address them.
According to Dr. Ramsammy, despite the fact that there is general agreement that the CDIP is a good programme and should be continued, it is also acknowledged that it has many shortcomings and has not fully delivered on its objectives, which include the provision of employment to community persons and maintaining and cleaning the drainage systems.
“There cannot be any doubt that it has provided employment, but it is also acknowledged that management has been weak. Citizens have complained that although many of these persons have done an excellent job, some of the CDIP employees do not work their full hours and have not performed to an acceptable quality. The consequence, therefore, is that the second objective has not been satisfactorily met,” he explained.
He however noted that the potential and the opportunities provided by the CDIP are enormous and could mean better maintenance of the drainage and sanitation conditions in many communities, once it delivers on its objectives.
Alluding to the steps taken to address the identified inadequacies of the CDIP, Ramsammy stated, “We have embarked on creating a more responsive programme and this has necessitated a re-structuring of the CDIP; as part of the restructuring, we have decided on strengthened management of the CDIP and, as a consequence, we have asked two coordinators of the programme to proceed on vacation leave to allow us to effect changes in management.”
The CDIP presently employs 2,438 persons in the Coastal Regions – Regions 1 to 6 and Region 10, and currently undertakes the cleaning and maintaining of 900 miles (approximately 288,000 rods) of drainage in villages and communities in these 7 Regions.
It was initiated in 2006 when the Caribbean Development Bank agreed to a loan of US$5.05M (Loan Agreement No. 9/SFR), the equivalent of $G1B, and it was coordinated by Irfaan Ally, who is now Minister of Housing.
The programme was funded in 2007 directly through the Ministry of Finance, with a sum of $800M under Capital Heading N0. 1301400. On June 1st, 2009, the CDIP was shifted to the Ministry of Agriculture and was placed under the National Drainage and Irrigation Agency.
According to Dr. Ramsammy, despite the fact that there is general agreement that the CDIP is a good programme and should be continued, it is also acknowledged that it has many shortcomings and has not fully delivered on its objectives, which include the provision of employment to community persons and maintaining and cleaning the drainage systems.
“There cannot be any doubt that it has provided employment, but it is also acknowledged that management has been weak. Citizens have complained that although many of these persons have done an excellent job, some of the CDIP employees do not work their full hours and have not performed to an acceptable quality. The consequence, therefore, is that the second objective has not been satisfactorily met,” he explained.
He however noted that the potential and the opportunities provided by the CDIP are enormous and could mean better maintenance of the drainage and sanitation conditions in many communities, once it delivers on its objectives.
Alluding to the steps taken to address the identified inadequacies of the CDIP, Ramsammy stated, “We have embarked on creating a more responsive programme and this has necessitated a re-structuring of the CDIP; as part of the restructuring, we have decided on strengthened management of the CDIP and, as a consequence, we have asked two coordinators of the programme to proceed on vacation leave to allow us to effect changes in management.”
The CDIP presently employs 2,438 persons in the Coastal Regions – Regions 1 to 6 and Region 10, and currently undertakes the cleaning and maintaining of 900 miles (approximately 288,000 rods) of drainage in villages and communities in these 7 Regions.
It was initiated in 2006 when the Caribbean Development Bank agreed to a loan of US$5.05M (Loan Agreement No. 9/SFR), the equivalent of $G1B, and it was coordinated by Irfaan Ally, who is now Minister of Housing.
The programme was funded in 2007 directly through the Ministry of Finance, with a sum of $800M under Capital Heading N0. 1301400. On June 1st, 2009, the CDIP was shifted to the Ministry of Agriculture and was placed under the National Drainage and Irrigation Agency.
