THE National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will continue to resuscitate and upgrade sea sluices along the West Coast of Berbice this year.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dave Hicks, said part of the works include the resuscitation of sea sluices constructed during the colonial days.
The number targeted were five, namely one between Lovely Lass and Golden Grove villages, one between Number 28 and Number 29 villages, one at Number 12 Village, one at Bush Lot and one at Bel Air.

The first two at Golden Grove/ Lovely Lass and Number 28/29 were completed and were fully functional for the 2017 November/December rains.
This year, these two completely rehabilitated sluices will be strengthened with erosion protection in the form of revetment works on both the seaward and landward sides to the tune of $35M.

Work on the sluice at Number 12 Village started last year, but was not completed.
Hicks said the NDIA will excavate outfall channels for the Number 12 sluice just before the May/June rains.

“We will be using a pontoon and two excavators to make this sluice operational in time for the anticipated next rainy season,” he disclosed.
The NDIA will also rehabilitate/resuscitate the sea sluice at Bush Lot Village to make this sluice, the fourth of the rehabilitated sluices along the West Coast of Berbice, operational this year.

Hicks disclosed that the two sluices which were completely rehabilitated last year had favourably impacted the discharge capacity of rainfall floodwaters in West Coast Berbice during the last rainy season.

He added that there was so much success with the Number 28 /29 and the Golden Grove /Lovely Lass sluices last year, that the authority may rethink the need for the Bel Air sluice.

The resuscitation and upgrading works to be done beginning from this month will be funded by the NDIA, but will be executed by the Mahaica /Mahaicony/ Abary Agricultural Authority (MMA/ADA). Labour for the project will be drawn primarily from West Berbice.