THE National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), under the umbrella of the Ministry of Agriculture, has embarked on several projects which will see the construction of sluices/pumps in Berbice.

NDIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Lionel Wordsworth, on Wednesday last, accompanied Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Alli Baksh to two such project sites, in East Berbice, which are presently undergoing completion works.
Minister Baksh also saw, first hand, progress at the locations and spoke to the contractors.
The first visit was at Warren, East Canje, where a pump would be installed to service the Number 19 Village area with improved drainage.
Wordsworth told the Guyana Chronicle that the Warren pump will supplement the one at Borlam to efficiently drain several communities where cattle farming is more prevalent.
He said, presently, approximately 7,000 acres drains through the Seawell double door sluice which discharges into the Berbice River.
Wordsworth explained that there is also a pump station but there is a deficit in the drainage output of the area, adding to the capacity

and, thus, reducing the deficit.
He said that station will get a new pump and the conveyor’s channel, which is about three miles long, has already been constructed.
The pump station, which will be erected by Amerally and Sons, should be completed in six weeks time.

EXTENSIVE WORKS
Meanwhile, the second site visited was at Number 49 Village, Corentyne, where extensive works were being carried out.
There, Wordsworth said they had proposed works for the drainage infrastructure but now they are putting an additional outlet for Black Bush Polder, particularly Yakasuri and Johanna.
He said the design was to drain the two polders through the Number 43 Outfall but that cannot adequately cope with the two areas and it has been observed that, every rainy season, draining the farmlands is a slow process.
As a result, a study was done and it was recommended that a new outlet be put in place. Consequently, the double door sluice to be built there is unlike any other that services Black Bush Polder, Wordsworth pointed out.
He explained that the double door sluice at Number 47 Village, Corentyne, has an improved design where they are also constructing two new pumping stations in one super structure.
Wordsworth said the two pumps to be installed are among eight that would be supplied under the India Line of Credit project and the contractor is R. Ramotar.