Drainage works are starting in the Netherlands to alleviate flooding
Agriculture. Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha.
Kaieteur News – Rapid action by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), has led to work commencing on several drains and canals in the Netherlands on the East Coast of Demerara. The work has been done to alleviate flooding in the area.
A statement, published this week by the Ministry of Agriculture, revealed that after meeting with village residents last week on Wednesday, subject Minister Zulfikar Mustapha immediately directed NDIA officials to send a machine to the area to start the work.
An excavator was located in the area last Saturday and work is currently underway. Once completed, hundreds of villagers stand to benefit from the approximately 2,770 drainage channel rods that will be cleared. The ongoing work is being carried out at an estimated cost of over G $ 2.2M and should be completed within the next three weeks.
Dutch residents expressed their satisfaction with the swift action they had taken to bring them some relief.
The picture shows part of the drain that needs to be cleared and a section that has been cleared so far.
Part of one of the cleared drains in the Netherlands.
NDIA engineers are examining the work done so far.
Eighty-eight-year-old Lorence Chester, for example, said she was proud of the work that has started. He said, “I paid almost $ 1M to build up here. This was a trench. The day before when rain looks, look at the things packing in my house. Three feet of water, if you go behind my fence you will see the mark. All behind that tank water coming up until there. I will praise God. When I look out and see the machine working, I felt so happy. ”
Ms Chester said, “The Minister was here and I heard someone from the area talk about the condition of the drains. I told my neighbor that I would get help because the Minister promised to do something. When I saw the machine, I called my neighbor again and said look, you see, we’re getting the help. “
Appreciative residents: Ms Lorence Chester and Mr. Chumandat Persaud
Chumandat Persaud, a stonemason, who has lived in the area for 12 years, said the water in the drains was already leaking. “My wife and I went to the meeting with the Minister last week when she promised that the machine would start work this week, but it has been since Saturday. He promised and fulfilled his promise. The whole place is flooded because the nah place gets drained but now that this machine is working, we get the drainage. With the work they are already doing you can already see the water dropping, ”said Mr Persaud. During the meeting, residents raised a number of concerns with the Minister and his team, which included the need for work to be done on a number. of drains and canals; major road restoration and land allocations, as many people are squatting at the moment. The subject Minister immediately committed to having a machine installed in the area to begin work as part of a complete upgrade to the community drainage system.
The machine is expected to remain in the area until all work is complete. The NDIA was also tasked with producing a report detailing the amount of work to be done in the area on a regular basis.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, the government is looking at developing a plan to upgrade the country’s entire drainage system.
He noted that with climate change, rising sea levels and unpredictable weather patterns, the government has started the foundation to ensure that a comprehensive drainage and irrigation system is developed and introduced within the next five years.
“Guyana is below sea level, so it is the government’s responsibility to put systems in place to protect the citizens of this country from the effects of flooding. This is why we have begun work on a comprehensive plan to improve the country’s drainage system. I can’t reveal too much now (but) what I can say is that we will be installing more drainage pumps in these vulnerable areas, as well as scheduling maintenance on these canals and drains. We know for a fact that, before this government took office, things had been done in a reactive way. You would only see work being done when there was a flood or during the rainy season. As Minister of Agriculture, I will ensure that agencies such as the NDIA are proactive. They will be guided by a clear program of work developed, using technical information and consultation with stakeholders. This is to ensure that the needs of the people who are supposed to benefit are taken into account, ”said the Minister.
He also said that the 2021 Budget would lay the foundation for the government’s developmental agenda, which will see a complete transformation of Guyana’s economy through investments in the country’s productive sectors.