THE Ministry of Agriculture and its National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) on Thursday signed nine contracts totalling $697.3M for the construction of drainage pump stations and sluices to acquire enough pumping capacity.Yearly, the Government of Guyana has proven that better drainage and irrigation countrywide is high on its agenda and as such has been making allocations in the annual budget to enhance these aspects in light of climate change and Guyana being a food producing nation.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said for the construction of a sluice at Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, Jainul Hossain Civil Engineering Contracting Services was awarded a $48M contract to build a sluice, while Nabi Construction Incorporated was awarded over $57M to build a similar structure at La Grange. Both contracts will last for six months.
After the sluices are constructed 1,100 acres and 2,500 acres of residential and farmlands at Bagotville and La Grange, respectively, will benefit from increased effective and efficient drainage and irrigation system while at La Grange acres will benefit
In addition, a $1.9M contract was awarded to Roopan Ramotar Investment for the construction of a Pump Station at Joppa No.43, Berbice, and Samaroo’s Investment received a $191.5M contract to build a pump station at Lima, Essequibo Coast, while Suresh Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services received the contract to supply steel sheets to the NDIA valued over $177M. Both contracts will last for seven months.
A total of 7,000 acres of residential and farmlands will benefit from the Joppa No.43, Berbice pump station when it becomes operational and 4,000 acres of residential and farmlands will benefit from the Lima, pump station.
Further, contracts were signed with Suresh Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services for the supply of steel sheet piles to NDIA at a total cost of $ 177.82M.
SRKN’gineering received contracts for the provision of supervision services at La Grange and Bagotville for a total cost of $20.2 million, while Engineering and Agricultural Consultants Inc will supervise works at Lima at a cost of $10.584 million. Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO) received an $8.8 million contract for supervision works to be done at Joppa No.43, Berbice.
All of the supervisory contracts are for a period of eight months, while the steel sheet piles will be supplied for a period of 10 months for the construction of pump stations at Joppa No.43, Eversham, Gangaram and Lima.
“These are very important contracts and I want to appeal to both the consultants and the contractors for us to complete these works on a timely basis and within the contract sum. In the last two years, I believe we have a good track record of staying within our contract price and of completing our work,” Ramsammy exhorted.
He added that he will be visiting the work sites regularly along with Chief Executive Officer, NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth and his team and hopes to see works being done all the time. “Too many of the sites I go to have no works going on sometimes.”
This infrastructural programme started in 2011 and involves installation of new pumps at new sites and the replacement of some old pumps. A total of 39 pumps is expected to be installed by 2015 a part of the five- year programme.(GINA)