–as torrential showers begin

FLOODING in the City of Georgetown is unlikely, as the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, has said that pumps are operational and would be able to drain the land in the case of any eventualities. Already, the city has started to experience torrential rainfall, which, according to the National Weather Watch Centre, is expected to persist until April 11, 2021.
In light of heavy showers, Minister Mustapha visited South Ruimveldt and Sussex Street, where two drainage pumps were recently installed.
The minister was accompanied by a team from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) comprising of Chairman, Lionel Wordsworth, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Fredrick Flatts, to inspect the pumps and ensure they were fully operational.
The pumps at Ruimveldt and Sussex Street are two of the mobile and fixed heavy-duty pumps which were procured under a line of credit financing of US$4 million from India, in 2020.
Mustapha said that one of the pumps are capable of draining some 35,520 gallons of water per minute, and will be operating on a 24-hour basis, if necessary, to avoid any form of flooding in the city.

“I have just spoken to the city engineer and he assured me that he has all manpower in place to man these structures and pumps so that they will be operable on a timely basis and if we have to operate the pump and the sluices on a 24-hour basis that will happen,” the minister said.
Further, he said: “We have also three of our senior engineers from NDIA who will be manning these areas and monitoring these structures and pumps on a 24-hour basis and who will give us a report.” Mustapha related that he, along with the team from NDIA, will be travelling to various parts of the country to conduct similar exercises, to ensure that drainage facilitates across the country are in proper shape. Specific emphasis will be placed on rice-growing areas since harvesting season has started and farmers will be looking for ways to transport their crops from the field.

According to Minister Mustapha, resources were expended to develop dams for farmers to traverse; however, due to inclement weather, it is inevitable that they will be affected.
He is, therefore, pleading with farmers, that while the ministry will continue maintenance of the dams, they must use the infrastructure in a responsible manner to allow for all farmers to be able to benefit. Minister Mustapha said that Guyana has recently seen a massive expansion of its rice markets, with Hungary and Latvia being added to the list of rice markets, and the export quota to Brazil being increased to 34,000 tonnes from 10,000 tonnes.
“At the same time, we will see increased production this crop, so all in all I am trying to put things in place, monitoring the situation and get things in place so that we can avoid any losses to farmers and at the same time avoid flooding in residential areas,” he said.