The Ministry of Agriculture today said that Region Three officials reported that on Saturday, the winch that is used to open and close one of the sluices in the Nismes, West Bank Demerara area was stolen.
Subsequently, it was discovered that sometime between Sunday night and early this morning, a winch was stolen from another sluice located in the La Grange/Nismes area.
A release from the ministry said that given the location of the structures and the size and weight of the winches, officials have said that it is most likely that the person or persons who carried out these acts gained access to the structures by means of the Demerara River at high tide.
Regional officials have since been working to acquire winches to replace the ones that were stolen, the ministry said.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said in the release: “It is quite alarming that this has occurred twice in three days. This is very serious and can easily have a very negative effect on the lives of farmers and residents in these and other surrounding areas. We will be ramping up our surveillance operations at all of the structures in the region to try and ensure this does not occur again”.
Mustapha also noted that the areas that are drained by these structures are now in a very vulnerable position should there be any heavy rainfall for an extended period.
The release said that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority has been working with Region Three officials to remedy the situation as soon as possible.