The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has acquired the country’s first amphibious excavator, according to the Department of Public Information.
The machine was acquired through residual funds from Phase Two of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sponsored project to rehabilitate the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).
According to Chief Executive Officer of NDIA, Frederick Flatts, the more than $60 million piece of equipment is due to arrive in July. “The excavator will be one that can operate both on land and in the water and will be used in the East Demerara Water Conservancy,” Flatts said.
The two-phased EDWC project was aimed at procuring equipment and rehabilitating facilities for the improvement of the flood-control capacity of the conservancy.
Phase One of the project saw the acquisition of equipment vital to the maintenance of the conservancy. Among the items acquired were excavators, aluminum boats and engines, 4 x 4 trucks, GPS devices and laptops.
Phase Two, saw the rehabilitation of the conservancy, had an estimated cost of $771 million, with the Government of Japan contributing $755 million and the Government of Guyana’s contributing $16 million.
