Jagdeo notes that oil resources will help strengthen Guyana’s water systems

On Tuesday, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said a portion of the oil funds will be used to
strengthen Guyana’s water system, as the administration takes an aggressive approach to
addressing the decades-long issue.
Dr. Jagdeo noted that if the situation has been a challenge in the past, going forward it will get
worse, especially since the country is evolving. As such, the Vice President stressed that there is
an urgent need to implement strategic plans to resolve the issue.
Jagdeo made the disclosure, while addressing a number of stakeholders, during a national
consultation on strategic flood protection measures, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre,
Liliendaal. “There is a strong need to do so urgently, the cost of doing so is enormous to fix our
sea defence to keep the sea out and these water management systems require heavy investment,
part of the oil resources have to be spent in this manner,” Jagdeo said. It was noted that the
forum allowed regional officials and farmers across Regions Two, Three, Five and Six, to
propose and discuss measures, that could be considered to properly manage the water systems
within their respective regions.
The plan, it was said is to collectively develop a long-term maintenance plan for the country’s
drainage and irrigation network, increase agriculture production and maximise land use. Dr.
Jagdeo explained that 80 percent of the world is suffering from no access to fresh water. And
while Guyana has the resource in abundance, the nation is still below sea level.
As such, he stressed that in some residential and farming communities there are volumes of
water, but the infrastructure is not designed to handle the pressure, thus creating a distressing
outcome for citizens, affecting their living conditions. “We have to fend for ourselves, while we
remain engaged with the global process, we in Guyana, we are not sitting on our hands, we
would have to ensure that some of our resources are utilised in this manner,” the VP said.. He
continued, “If we don’t tackle the big issues of water management every single crop or every two
crops [will be lost.] We have lost large volumes of our produce and that has not only impacted
the overall economy, but at the family level often it has devastating consequences for the
people.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel
Wordsworth presented extensively on major drainage plans for the respective regions.
Wordsworth pointed out several proposals to drain and upgrade canals in the Pomeroon, Region
Two, Canals Polder, Region Three, the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area, Region Five and several
areas in Region Six.
The former president revealed that the consultation will allow the government to make thorough
assessments and subsequently put robust systems in place to protect the future of the country.
Despite a number of recommendations were given by the stakeholders, several technical officers
are expected to visit the regions to continue examining the proposals, as well as look into
drainage issues that can be addressed in the short-term.