Work starts soon on major irrigation projects

THREE MAJOR OUTFALL SLUICES are slated for three heavy food-producing areas to
help reduce flooding according to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha.

Mustapha said 3 eight-door outfall sluices will be constructed in Regions Three (Essequibo
Islands/West Demerara); Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) through the
National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) which identified the site for the three
structures.
“These will be massive projects,” the minister promised.

The capital city, Georgetown and contiguous communities on its east were spared inundation
from heavy showers this year because of the Hope Canal constructed several years ago,
Mustapha told the government’s Department of Public Information (DPI).

“Areas around Black Bush Polder (in Region Six) are very vulnerable to flooding… So, these are
areas that I think this infrastructure will do a lot of wonders for,” Mustapha said.

With the completion of the three outfall sluices the agriculture lands will be drained efficiently,
preserving the critical food sector.
“I’m very happy that the President has already made a decision that [we] will embark on these
projects very shortly. So, this will help us to mitigate flooding across the country. And we will
not experience that kind of heavy flooding that we had over the last two months when we had the
flooding in Guyana”, said Mustapha.
The three projects represent the Government’s long-term solution to flooding in the
country.