Burma Road sluice under scrutiny as Councillor raises “construction faults”

… NDIA already engaged, doing assessments

Concerns about possible construction defects at a sluice being built at Burma Road, Mahaicony, were raised at Thursday’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting, with Councillor Junior Henry saying ng that the structure has “serious problems” and casting doubt on its effectiveness once completed.
“That thing that they call a sluice, we have serious problems there,” Henry told the council, as he pointed to what he described as visible defects at the site.
He said the section intended to accommodate the sluice door appeared distorted, explaining, “Number one, the structure that is up in the air to accommodate the door, those things are twisted. The top is wider than the bottom.”
Henry further claimed that attempts were being made to correct the issue after construction.

“I pass it and see people trying to plaster it to bring it back…,” he said as he also questioned the viability of the structure in its current state, adding, “I don’t know how effective it will be when it’s completed, if it will ever be completed.”
In response, Regional Chairman Ricardo Phillips emphasised the importance of the project.
“This critical infrastructure, when completed, will drain thousands of acres of land,” he said as he further outlined its intended benefits.
“What we’re looking at in the 2026 Budget [is] to have this critical infrastructure in place so that the rice farmers and the other farmers will have meaningful drainage to their lands and to reduce flooding in their respective areas.”
Intended purpose
Phillips added that the Agriculture Ministry, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), has already engaged the issue and is carrying out assessments as works continue, with efforts underway to ensure the project meets its intended purpose.
The sluice is expected to play a major role in improving water control in the Mahaicony/Burma agricultural belt, where effective drainage is essential for large-scale rice cultivation and other farming activities, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.
The ongoing works at Burma Road is part of NDIA project titled “Construction of Culvert and Intake Structure at Burma Railway Line, Region Five,” which was put out to tender in February 2025 with an engineer’s estimate of $51.1 million. Bids for the project were opened on March 6, 2025, attracting several contractors, with submissions ranging from approximately $45.8 million to $53.9 million.