–as house clears $6B for drainage and irrigation
–other pumps, sluices, pump stations to be upgraded

COMMUNITIES along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) corridor that are often affected by flooding will see some new improvements with the establishment of the district’s first pump station, following the National Assembly’s approval of a $6 billion allocation for drainage and irrigation.

As the assembly was resolved into the Committee of Supply during day two of the consideration of the budget estimates, on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, was questioned extensively on a $6 billion allocation to the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

Mustapha said the sum of $4.3 billion has been allocated as a rollover sum to see the continued installation of 12 pumps.

This year, the Ministry of Agriculture will install eight new drainage pumps across the country.

“We have here, maintenance of drainage and irrigation projects across the country… we would have purchased a number of pumps and we are now doing a number of sluices to complement those pumps,” Minister Mustapha told the committee.

Of the $6 billion allocation, Mustapha said eight new pump systems, including the construction of a pump station on the EBD, will be pursued while a new engine will be placed at the Montrose pump station to advance drainage efforts along the East Coast of Demerara.

“Last year, we started the construction of 12 pumps, $4.3 billion is allocated to these projects, because these projects are roll over projects. This year, we will build another eight additional pumps… for the first time in history we will build pumps station on the East Bank of Demerara, we never had pump station there before,” the minister said.

Additionally, Mustapha said that the NDIA will be doing impoldering works and building farm-to-market roads in several regions.

“We had thousands of acres of land in the Pomeroon that we will be impoldering so that we can resolve the issue of flooding… we will do farm-to-market roads in a number of areas, places like Victoria, Buxton, Letter Kenny Onderneeming to name a few to name a few areas,” he related.

The allocation will also see the sum $104 million being set aside for a new dam and mangrove restoration efforts in Region Five all aimed at bringing flood relief to communities within the region.