–Agriculture Ministry gets $49M to construct pump station at Patentia

AGRICULTURE Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, answering questions posed on Thursday by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentarian Jaipaul Sharma, said that pump stations are being constructed at strategic locations along the coast to accommodate the high-capacity Surendra drainage pumps brought in from India recently.Dr Ramsammy said that two of the eight fixed-side pumps have already been installed at pump stations in Region 6(East Berbice/Corentyne). One has been installed at Rose Hall Town and the other at Canje. Pump stations are being constructed to accommodate the remaining six others. Four would be placed in Region 3 (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands); namely, one at Canal No. 1, one at Patentia, one at Lima and the last at Two Friends; and two would be placed in Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica), one at Lusignan and the other at Pine Ground in Mahaicony.
The Government bought fourteen pumps from the India-based company Surendra Engineering in 2011. Six of those are mobile pumps, and eight are fixed-side pumps requiring pump station buildings.
The devices have been described as high-capacity pumps capable of discharging up to 200 cubic metres of water per second.
The previous pump capacity was 150 cubic metres per second.
During Thursday’s sitting of Parliament, Minister Ramsammy obtained $49M as supplementary funding for constructing the pump station at Patentia, WBD.

(By Clifford Stanley)