– as gov’t commissions $335M pump station, sluice at Herstelling

FARMERS of Mocha-Arcadia and thousands of residents from communities along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) will benefit from better drainage and irrigation, as government commissioned a $335 million pump station and sluice at Herstelling, EBD.

For decades, farmers of Mocha have been deprived of the ability to farm because their lands were always inundated because of poor drainage.

The new pump station has restored the farmers’ ability to farm and re-established the culture of subsistence living within the community.

“The goal is to increase incomes and reduce unemployment, by providing access to land for farming through the rehabilitation of drainage and irrigation systems and access dams; and additionally, by providing the necessary support, such as extension services and planting material to ensure the success of farmers,” said Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder during the commissioning of the facility at Herstelling on Friday.

The new facility, which was financed by the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) and the government, will provide relief to approximately 7,500 persons from Providence to Little Diamond, covering 4,500 acres of land. Among the beneficiaries are the 69 registered farmers from the Mocha Cooperative.

Holder said he believes that establishment of the village economy system is necessary for enhancement of the country.

“The pump station catchment area is Herstelling, Providence South, Barnwell, and Mocha-Arcadia, which are primarily dependent on the cultivation of plantains, bananas, ground provisions, citrus, mangoes, and other cash crops, and the rearing of livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry,” said the minister.
In that regard, land clearing was conducted with the aim of ensuring farmers return to their lands as soon as possible.

“Land clearing of 400 acres and 297 acres of land preparation has also been achieved. I must point out here that the land preparation are contracts awarded through community participation to the cooperatives in these areas,” said Holder.
He said 60 of the 265 registered farmers within the four catchment areas have received their government grants, which have seen approximately 50 acres of new lands under cultivation.

Farmers’ representative from Mocha-Arcadia/Barnwell area, Raeburn Jones, said the commissioning of the sluice was a grand occasion for farmers, because they have suffered a lot over the years due to the lack of drainage systems.

Farmers from the community were forced to find new jobs because time and again their produce would be destroyed during the rainy season and it would take months for the water to recede.

“We are now ready to take up the mantle and return the village to its former glory, because our farms will not be flooded anymore,” said Jones.
More farming is expected over the coming months, but the imminent increase in farming would not have been possible without the new pump station.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Dave Hicks, said the facility is a manifestation of young Guyanese engineers who created the environment to think outside of the box.

He believes that those engineers are leading the NDIA in a new direction which the authority could utilise in other projects.
The sluice comprises a three-metre door which was built from timber and is encased in fibre glass.

Under the project, the NDIA has constructed 7.52 km of new irrigation canals, excavated and rehabilitated 67.6km of irrigation channels and 70.6km of drainage channels. In addition, 32km of fair weather dams were also rehabilitated.

Hicks said the sluice will be able to drain at least 100 cubic feet of water per second. The efficiency of the facility was already tested because there was a recent breach in one of the dams in the area.

“When we contacted the farmers after the breach, we found out that there was no significant increase in water levels,” said the deputy CEO, noting that they hope to replicate the system throughout the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture, through the NDIA, has allocated G$7.5 billion dollars in 2019 to continue to implement aggressive plans for upgrading and rehabilitating of drainage and irrigation infrastructure in all regions of Guyana to ensure optimum capacity in the system.
Under the CDF project, several pump stations and sluices have already been built and upgraded across the country.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer, CARICOM Development Fund, Mr. Rodinald Soomer, said since 2014 the CDF has injected some US$18.94M for local infrastructural enhancement.

“88.3 per cent of the funding for this cycle has been disbursed and Guyana continues to impress you… Guyana remains the most impressive performer among the member states when it comes to completing projects within the given timeframe,” said Soomer.