Tender for high-level Hope-like canal in Region Five to be out soon – Agri. Minister
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has disclosed that the tender for the high-level Hope-like canal in Region Five will be out in the coming week.
The Minister made the disclosure during a meeting with farmers from Prospect and other surrounding communities in Region Five.
“In Region Five, we’ll do another set of high-level canals. In the coming week, the tender will be out. The expression of interest has already been published for these canals,” the Agriculture Minister stated.
“This Danzig/Prospect area is slated for one. With that, we’ll install several irrigation pumps to bring water from the backlands into the irrigation system so that farmers can have sufficient irrigation. This will work in conjunction with the high-level canal so that we will not experience flooding when there is heavy rainfall. We are also constructing a pump station at Cottage. That pump will help with the long-term development of this area,” he explained.
Minister Mustapha emphasised that these infrastructural developments are crucial for enhancing the agricultural productivity of the region and mitigating the effects of climate change.
He also highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to develop an integrated drainage system for the entire country.
“We started that programme with the construction of the high-level Hope Canal when we were in government prior to 2015. When that canal was constructed, many persons were criticising it, calling it ‘Jagdeo’s white elephant’. We saw the usefulness of that canal when we had the flood in 2021. While all the areas in the country were affected, that area and Georgetown were not affected because the water was draining directly to the Atlantic Ocean,” the Minister noted.
In addition to the canal projects, Minister Mustapha spoke about the medium-term plans to address the infrastructural needs raised by farmers during recent consultations.
He assured the farmers that their requests for upgrades to drainage and irrigation structures, as well as the clearing of canals, are being taken seriously.
“We’ll work to clear those canals and build those dams. These will be medium-term developments because we have to have a work plan. I cannot send machines into the area without doing a proper analysis and survey. So, the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) will be working on that. The NDIA Chairman will be coming with a team to look at the area, and once the survey is complete, I will designate machinery to do the work. I am optimistic that within a month, those works can commence,” Minister Mustapha stated.
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