Essequibo Chamber calls for Govt to desilt Pomeroon River

…says this will facilitate more trade

The Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) is calling on Government to desilt the Pomeroon River; one of the deepest rivers in the Caribbean, to accommodate trade.

According to the Chamber President, Suean Seewnarayan, due to the heavy siltation of the Pomeroon River mouth, large vessels cannot enter nor leave port and this is adding to the cost the regions bears for importation and exportation of goods.
Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) is mainly an agricultural region which has the potential to produce enough food for local and export markets. However, according to the Chamber, farmers need to have the necessary infrastructure and security in place before investing.
Additionally, the Chamber President noted that the garbage piled up and congestion at Charity needs to be addressed in the commercial zone as this will be a hazard for development.
Charity was one of the main ports on the Essequibo Coast and is ideal for big ships due to the depths of the Pomeroon River, but the heavy siltation of the river mouth has impeded larger ships from traversing the channel, resulting in the entire waterfront being left to deteriorate further.
According to a resident living in the area, he can remember the days when the steamer used to come to the Pomeroon and residents used the service to transport all their produce to markets in Georgetown.
Presently, the coconut industry is doing well and the Pomeroon can be the gateway once again to the Caribbean and the rest of the world if the river mouth is dredged and the waterfront rehabilitated, the resident said.
With the coming of the Pomeroon Oil Mill Inc, which is the brainchild of businessman Alfro Alphonso, it will significantly assist the struggling industry, which has seen farmers giving up, owing to the lack of markets.
The oil mill which sits on the Pomeroon River was designed to use the river as a gateway for export markets, but due to the siltation of the river mouth, the mill will have to do all its exporting through Georgetown which is time consuming and costly.
The only means to transport goods for local and export markets out of the region is by ferry service, which is some distance away from Charity. This therefore adds to transportation cost.