AGRICULTURE MINISTER, Zulfikar Mustapha, laid down the Boards of Directors of Eastern Demerara Water Conservation (EDWC) and Boerasirie Water Conservation (BWC) on Wednesday. Lionel Wordsworth has been appointed EDWC Board Chairman, while Yudhisthira Mana will serve as BWC Board Chairman.
Addressing board members, Minister Mustapha outlined the importance of having a reliable and effective irrigation system in the agriculture sector. He also accused the boards of ensuring that the two conservatories are properly managed. “We know for a fact that these conservations are important and we know the importance of irrigation to the agricultural sector in our country. As members of these boards, you are tasked with managing these important infrastructures as water supply remains vital to the success of the agricultural sector.
You know that the Government is working aggressively to develop and move the sector forward, and farmers rely on us to ensure that we have proper irrigation so that they can ensure their plants have a constant supply of water. So we have to manage these conservancies effectively and make sure we provide for these farmers, ”said Minister Mustapha.
The subject minister added that the EDWC is also a source of drinking water supply for the City. “These conservancies irrigate thousands of hectares of land, for example, in Region Three, all GuySuCo operation depends on conservatism in West Demerara. The EDWC also serves a dual purpose, as it also provides drinking water to the City. The Ministry of Agriculture has the task of ensuring that we manage it effectively, that we keep it and we regulate these conservatism in a sustainable way.
With the composition of the two boards, I know that we have people with the experience, skill and competence necessary to effectively manage these infrastructures. The Government relies on you to advise on proposals and provide guidance on the operation of these critical infrastructures. We are about to open new lands because we want to double production by 2025 so that means we have to provide effective irrigation to the thousands of hectares of farmland that is and will be available, ”he said. r Minister Mustapha. The EDWC is one of Guyana’s premier water storage and flood management facilities. It irrigates thousands of hectares of rice and other crops in this area by storing rainwater for dry periods and also provides about 60 percent of drinking water for Georgetown. The Boerasirie conservatism collects the flow from the Boerasirie River, the Warimia basin, the Jumbi basin and finally the South Durabana basin. It has a total capacity of 166 million m3 and is designed to provide irrigation to about 36 000 ha.