More than $50M has already been spent for the community D&I project since its advent under the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and 1,933 labourers have been employed, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The release also said that Cabinet on June 1, 2009 approved the transfer of the project from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Agriculture and a new management structure under NDIA is now in place. It includes the chief executive officer as head of the project. In August Visham Budhoo was appointed a project coordinator while Faye Brisport was appointed a project supervisor.
Moreover, all regions now have a regional coordinator who has responsibility over the community drainage and irrigation projects as well as the foreman. And all 54 NDCs now have a foreman who works with the coordinator to ensure that work is done and the best quality is achieved, the release stated.
In all regions a regional technician/engineer will be appointed to ensure that all work programmes are done on time and according to specifications, and these persons will also provide technical advice to the various coordinators.
According to the release, this move was expected to bring more clarity in the sustainable management of the drainage and irrigation systems in communities since it will ensure the upkeep and maintenance of tertiary and community level drainage/irrigation infrastructure.
It will also allow the Ministry of Agriculture to work more closely with the Ministry of Housing and Water since there are numerous housing projects coupled with drainage issues.
The release said also that those employed under the programme are required to work four days per week and receive a monthly payment of $25,000 with the foreman receiving $30,000 and coordinators in Regions One, Two, Three, Six and Ten getting $50,000. Those hired are contracted for one year and at present some 1,933 labourers are employed under this project.
The project was started following numerous complaints by residents in the various communities that the NDCs were negligent and so the D&I project provided additional help and was undertaken directly through the government.
The persons employed were not only limited to D&I projects since their work included the cleaning and digging of trenches, cleaning and weeding of parapets and the cleaning of cemeteries. The workers were also equipped with basic tools to carry out their jobs. The workers are benefiting from the new income tax threshold that was set at $35,000 which enables minimum wage workers to enjoy a higher take home pay.
This year, the release stated, some $800M will be spent on improving the drainage and irrigation systems and other community-oriented work through this initiative. Up to June, government had expended in excess of $313M towards this initiative which also entails development in hinterland areas since it provides jobs for persons living there, the release added.