Expanded D&I works at Canal No. 1 benefitting 200 more farmers

Farmers at the meeting

An additional 200 farmers in Canal Number One, West Bank of Demerara, are set to benefit from enhanced drainage and irrigation (D&I) improvements on their internal drainage systems.

These upgrades were announced by Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha on Tuesday, during a community meeting at Canal Number One Conservancy Dam.

It is expected to improve accessibility, relieve pressure on the current systems, and boost crop yields.

To expedite the process, Minister Mustapha directed the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to deploy an additional excavator by Monday, to support the existing equipment.

“So that this machine will join the other one. We will complete the Canal Polder where all the farmers will receive their eight hours of work on the internal drainage [systems],” the minister pointed out.

Thus far, 260 farmers in Canal Number One have benefitted from D&I interventions aimed at enhancing their farms’ drainage systems.

Minister Mustapha emphasised that the government is committed to modernising drainage infrastructure on the West Bank of Demerara, benefitting both farmers and residents.

One of the significant ongoing projects is the construction of a new pump station at Canal Number One, which will further bolster the area’s drainage capacity.

The pump station, which is scheduled for completion by mid-December, will be equipped with two mechanical pumping units capable of discharging 150 cubic feet of water per second.

Meanwhile, the minister also explained that the contractor is currently fabricating a metal door at the koker there.

“We will put metal doors right across all the sluices so that we will not have those kinds of weak doors anymore,” he added.

He also explained that the contract for A-Line pump station, which was terminated, is currently in the retendering stage.

“We will continue to make budgetary allocation to improve the infrastructure in Canal [No. 1]. Over the last four years, we have seen tremendous transformations in the agriculture sector in the country,” he said.