“THE New Amsterdam Municipal Council has to be able to work out a maintenance programme to keep the canals clean manually,” says Region 6 Chairman, David Armogan. He highlighted the extensive works of the age-old machinery assigned to the East Berbice-Corentyne location, and declared, “One of the big problems we have been finding in the New Amsterdam area is that, even when we help them, we find that a couple weeks after, the vegetation grows back. The New Amsterdam Town Council has to be able to work out a maintenance programme to keep the canals clean, at all times, manually, because we cannot get a machine here every two or three weeks to clear these canals; and once we clear these canals with machines, we hope that they will be able to use manual labour to keep these canals clean.”

Armogan suggested that drainage and irrigation workers assigned to the municipality be tasked with the responsibility of getting the drainage system cleared, so that the two machines which are operable in the region would not have to be taken to the township whenever it rains.

Expressing the need for smaller machines, Armogan told the Guyana Chronicle, “Another problem we have is that our machinery is aged and they are not standing up to the amount of work, and this is something where we need help at some point to have new or additional machines, so that we can do a lot more work in the region. Out of the six machines we have in the region, on an average day, only two are operable, so we have four parked for very, very long periods.

“Presently, two are working, and that’s not sufficient for a big area like Region 6. The machines service both farming and residential areas. These machines have been here for five to seven years, and because the amount of work they do, they are damaged.

Nevertheless, he stated that drainage and irrigation works have been ongoing in the region, with works being done at the residential areas, especially  the Number 47 Good Hope area, where flooding was reported during last week.
 
“We [Regional Administration] deployed machines the next day [Last Thursday] and the water has receded completely. Flood water had risen for a day or two. We are doing roadside clearing at Port Mourant/Tain area, where the system was completely blocked. Also, works are ongoing at the Number 35 [Village] and the Number 47 Village areas, to assist farmers.”

Armogan revealed that a request was made to the Ministry of Finance for smaller machines, “but it was not allowed. I guess funds were not available. But it is something we really need in Berbice to dig the residential areas, because as much as we have been servicing the farming community with the machines we have, we also have an obligation to the residential communities.”

Chairman Armogan noted that the administration is obligated to the citizenry. He said, “You know the NDCs [Neighbourhood Democratic Councils] they do not have money to do anything, as the rate collection from the 16  NDCs is about 40%; in some cases less. Our rates collection is pretty low. The $3M subvention could barely fill a couple of holes on the road. So they are unable to do drainage works in most of these NDC areas, and we have to assist them, as they do not have the capacity.”