-will provide drainage for more than 100 acres of land

RESIDENTS living in the extreme north of the Pomeroon-Supenaam region will soon experience improved drainage as plans are on stream to build a new pump station at Andrews on the Essequibo Coast.

Last Thursday, a team of key stakeholders met at the project site for the first time and engaged in further discussions. The team included Regional Chairperson, Vilma De Silva; Vice-Chairman, Humace Odit; the Prime Minister’s representative, Arnold Adams; Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Dave Hicks; Project Manager from CB & Associates, Surendra Singh; Regional Engineer, Kawan Suchit; NDIA Regional Engineer, Nanram Narine; Chairman of the Evergreen/Paradise Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Lionel Budhram; and Sea Defence Engineer, Saeed Mohamed.

Speaking to residents, rice farmers, and the regional team, Hicks said the meeting was an initial stage towards the construction of a state-of-the-art pump station. He explained that CB & Associates was contracted to conduct the design for the project; the company will be responsible for conducing consultations and developing a hydraulic design.

The company’s Project Manager explained that the first site visit was done to meet with stakeholders and to interact with farmers and other residents. Singh said that the company will be visiting the site regularly, and he used the opportunity to remind officials that the project is still in its designing stages.

He made a commitment to update regional officials and other stakeholders on the status of each visit and the progress of the project. Meanwhile, De Silva said she was happy that this project will be executed in Andrews. She urged CB & Associates to conduct consultations with the residents and farmers; she also requested weekly reports from the respective agencies on the status of the project.

The Vice-Chairman, Humace, in his comments, noted that when the project is completed, drainage will be provided for more than 100 acres of lands in the area. He said the sluice, at the moment, cannot effectively assist in draining of the land, especially during the rainy season.

The Prime Minister’s representative also urged for inclusive engagements with community members. Adams said that the comments made by farmers and residents are important during the designing phase.

Former coalition councillor, Hardat Narine, who spoke on behalf of residents, expressed eagerness for the commencement of the project. He said that the area has been in need of a pump station for several years now as whenever it rains, many rice fields are inundated.