President Donald Ramotar in the presence of residents of Rose Hall town commissioned a $37 million drainage pump yesterday.
The pump is one of fourteen supplied by the Indian company Surendra Engineering under a 2011 contract funded by India.
The pumps are said to be hydro flow and boast a discharge capacity of 120 cubic meters per second.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said there is a demand for pumps and sluices in the country, since “rainfall and weather patterns have changed due to climate change”.
He said “It has become a major task for the government to install these pumps and remedy the situation” and added that the drainage pumps are only going to help to a point.
“[Too much] garbage is being dumped in the drains and [waterways] and we must desist from doing that if we are going to prevent flooding.” He also requested that residents return to the days when they would clean the drains in front of their yards. “… sometimes we forget how we contribute to the problem”.
The agriculture minister further pointed out that within a year the irrigation pump would be in the hands of the Guyana Sugar Corporation.
Ramsammy also stated that the pump would be working along with the Albion and Port Mourant drainage systems.
Meanwhile, David Armogan, Regional Chairman, Region 6 made it known that the flooding situation over the year 2013 is somewhat better when compared to 2012. He stated that when he took office in 2012, three days later, residents of Rose Hall Town experienced major flooding and it was at that point he said that they needed a permanent solution to the problem. “Today the solution is here”, he said to applause.
He explained that in 2013 the region was gifted with 12 machines that assisted tremendously in clearing heavily clogged drains and reduced flooding. The regional chairman also thanked GuySuCo for their assistance in drainage over the years.
Ramotar in his address told the gathering that too many problems of flooding have been reported and the installing of these pumps is to bring relief to all.
The Rose Hall Town pump station was constructed by Harrichand Tulsi General Engineering and Supply Services. The contract was awarded in February 2013 and was completed in June 2013.
