Pump station contractors given strict deadlines to complete work – Agri Minister

– $1.3B in works on Liliendaal pump station on track for completion

The contractors working on several pump stations, for instance, those at Canal Number One in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Charity in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), have been given a stern warning by the Government and a strict deadline by which they are expected to complete these projects.
It was reported in October of 2022 that several pump stations being constructed in various regions were facing delays. Among them were pump stations at Charity, Canal Number 1, Cottage and Black Bush Polder, the latter of which actually resulted in the contract being terminated.
During his year-end press conference, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha acknowledged the delays these projects have faced. According to him, they recently met with these contractors and they were warned to stick to the revised deadlines for the project. In addition, $1.3 billion in rehabilitation works on the Liliendaal pump station are well on track for completion.
“The Liliendaal pump station, yes, it’s on track. And I’m very optimistic it will meet its deadline. That’s a major project, a World Bank project. And I’m hoping it will meet its deadline. Other pump stations too, not just Liliendaal. Those like what the Opposition MP, Mahipaul was raising. We met with the contractors.”

“They have to complete it by the specific deadline that was set. All the contractors we met with. Places like Canal One, A-Line, the Charity, the Cozier, all those areas. The one at Cottage. The contractors, last week Thursday, we met with them. And they signed, yes, all the contracts will be completed,” Mustapha said during his press conference.

After Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul had highlighted delays in these projects, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) explained the factors behind the delays. For instance, NDIA had explained that the Charity pump station was delayed because of squatters. At the time, however, the agency had said that works were proceeding. Other factors cited were relocating existing infrastructure and constructing new ones.
One of the assertions that were made by the Opposition MP at the time regarding the termination of the Black Bush Polder pump station contract, was that concrete should have been poured over steel rods in the foundation of the project. He had claimed that terminating the contract would cost taxpayers $38 million.
However, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had debunked this recommendation as not being technically sound, since the experts have advised that the entire structure will have to be replaced. Further, he had said that as per the contract, the contractor would only be paid for works “satisfactorily completed”.
Pumps play a critical role in preventing floods and are especially important for rice cultivation in the Black Bush Polder. It had been reported late last year that even as rice farmers were preparing their lands for the next crop, they were facing challenges with replanting since several pumps that supply farmers with water were inoperable.
The Ministry of Agriculture received $33.2 billion in Budget 2023. A contract for a pump station at Black Bush Polder was among the several contracts totalling $2.7 billion that were signed in October 2021, by agencies within the Agriculture Ministry. (G-3)