–Regional Chairperson says Dawa pump station to be transformed into a tourist site

By Indrawattie Natram

GIVEN that Region Two is home to fascinating farmlands and several agricultural operations, Chairperson Vilma De Silva firmly believes that it can take up the lead role in developing a successful agro-tourism industry in Guyana. She expressed this view during a recent interview with members of the media at her Anna Regina office.

De Silva said this agricultural-based region can use its vast farmlands and its massive Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) network system to promote itself.  She recalled a recent visit to the state-of-the-art Dawa pump station, located in the backlands of Tapakuma, saying how fascinated she was by the greenness and physical beauty of the Amerindian community.

“Anyone would pay to see that! It’s a beautiful scene; fresh air and wonderful vegetation. With the right investment, that place can attract many visitors, locally and internationally,” De Silva expressed. De Silva explained that the Dawa Pump Station is a drainage system with ancient history, having been built in the 1960s, and rehabilitated at a cost of $409M under a European Union (EU) funded project in 2008.

The pump station provides irrigation to 32,500 acres of rice lands on the Essequibo Coast; it has four pumps, and auxiliary engines that were made in Germany and the Netherlands. De Silva said that apart from the agriculture sector, the tourism industry will flourish in 2021. She pointed out that the region has black-water lakes at Mainstay and Capoey, which can be transformed into huge tourist sites.

Further, she said the Pomeroon area has an abundance of land that is being utilised for coconut cultivation, and this can be incorporated into the agro-tourism plans.  The Regional Chairperson further explained that she is confident that visitors would want to pay to see such investments, and the way things are done. She, therefore, said the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) can play its part by developing infrastructure for these tourist sites, to make them comfortable for tourists to visit.

“Region Two has a lot to offer in terms of black water and agri-tourism, but we need to develop these areas, and it can be a huge revenue earner for the private sector,” she stressed. The Regional Democratic Council will be working alongside various stakeholders to develop the region’s tourism industry.