A new pump station which was constructed to the tune of a whopping $446.8 million was commissioned on Saturday at Adventure Village, Corentyne Berbice.
The project was undertaken by D. Sawh Mechanical Workshop but was supervised by SRKN Engineering as the consultancy firm which was paid $26.4 million.
Agriculture Minster, Zulfikar Mustapha testing the facility
The new station will facilitate the draining of over 6,000 acres of residential and farmlands. In addition, it will support all the major outfalls in areas such as Eversham and Number 43 Villages.
The new facility features two 150 cusec pumps designed to drain 126,000 gallons per minute, bringing significant relief to farmers and residents from Black Bush Polder and other areas.
The contract for the construction of the pumping facility was awarded in October 2021.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha reiterated that the government is injecting the relevant investments to build climate-resilient D&I infrastructure nationwide.
“This is an investment for the future of our country. By the end of next year, we will be building approximately 19 of these projects across the country. Right here, in Region Six, we have one at Anchorville, Letter Kenny and another one will be awarded shortly at Chesney in the Albion area. In this catchment area, you have five pump stations. The investments we are making in these projects are tremendous.”
A section of the residents at the commissioning ceremony
A national programme is currently ongoing countrywide to improve Guyana’s D&I infrastructure, which includes the construction and rehabilitation of pump stations and sluices and the clearing of canals and outfalls.
The minister remains optimistic that the region will have 24-hour drainage to the Atlantic Ocean rather than the farming area when construction is completed on the embankments from No. 67 village to Canje and the two high-level, Hope-like canals.
The interior of the new pump station
Further, 10 sluices will be rehabilitated in the region.
“That is why we are putting all these pumps and other mechanisms in place. By the end of this year or early next year, we will be procuring another 40 pumps which we will put in different parts of the country to complement the system that we have now…In order for our farmers to benefit more effectively, we have to make those investments,” the minister stated.
This, he emphasised, will boost Guyana’s and by extension the region’s food production drive.
