– The National Chairman states that the Dawa pump station is being transformed into a tourist site
By Indrawattie Natram
GIVEN that Region Two is home to fascinating farmlands and several agricultural pursuits, Chairman Vilma De Silva firmly believes that he can take the leading role in developing a successful agri-tourism industry in Guyana. He expressed this view during a recent interview with members of the media in his office Anna Regina.
De Silva said this agricultural region can use its vast farmlands and huge Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) network system to promote itself. She recalled a recent visit to the state-of-the-art Dawa pump station, located in rural Tapakuma, saying how interested she was in the greenery and physical beauty of the Amerindia community.
“Anyone would pay to see that! It’s a beautiful scene; fresh air and wonderful vegetation. With the right investment, that place can attract many visitors, both locally and internationally, ”De Silva expressed. De Silva explained that the Dawa Pump Station is a drainage system with an ancient history, having been built in the 1960s, and rehabilitated at a cost of $ 409M under a European Union (EU) funded project in 2008.
The pump station provides irrigation to 32,500 acres of rice lands on the Essequibo Coast; it has four pumps, and auxiliary engines made in Germany and the Netherlands. De Silva said that apart from the agriculture sector, the tourism industry will prosper in 2021. He pointed out that the region has black water lakes in Mainstay and Capoey, which can be transformed into huge tourist sites.
He further stated that the Pomeroon area has an abundance of land used for coconut cultivation, and this can be incorporated into the agri-tourism schemes. The Regional Chair further explained that she was confident that visitors would want to pay to see such investments, and the way things are done. She said, therefore, that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) can play its part in developing infrastructure for these tourist sites, to make it comfortable for tourists to visit.
“Region Two has a lot to offer in terms of black water and agri-tourism, but we need to develop these areas, and it can be a huge revenue winner for the private sector,” he stressed. The Regional Democratic Council will work alongside various stakeholders to develop the region’s tourism industry.