The Ministry of Agriculture will be embarking on a massive drainage programme within the Alness – Whim/Bloomfield Area before the rainy season to avoid flooding and the loss of cattle as happened in previous years.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday announced that $42m will be expended on clearing internal drains within the Whim/Bloomfield Neighbourhood Democratic Council, while some $35m will be expended on clearing canals and fixing dams within the Alness – Whim/Bloomfield areas to assist farmers and cattle farmers.
Mustapha, who met with residents in Bloomfield Village, Corentyne, said that almost all the drainage within the Whim/Bloomfield Neighbourhood Democratic Council is blocked and so this massive programme is necessary at this stage. “When you go around the villages of Whim, Auchlyne, Letter Kenny and Bloomfield almost all the internal drains are blocked with bush, and sometimes people are cleaning their drains, and sometimes they are not cleaning.”
He explained, that although such projects do not fall within the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture “we have looked at it and we have decided that we will desilt all the drains, so all the internal drains in Whim/Bloomfield will be desilted.”
According to the Minister, the project was awarded to Associated Construction. He noted, that the material removed from the drains will not be left on the sideline of the drains – something residents have complained about bitterly in the past. Instead, “So when he cleans the drains, he will take out all the stuff from the drains and transport it out so we will have clean waterways.”
Additionally, the Minister informed the residents that if persons’ bridges are blocking the area that needs cleaning then the bridges will have to be removed, and residents agreed. He also asked that a committee be set up with residents to monitor the project.
He noted that a pump will also be placed in the Whim area to assist with draining if necessary as the preparatory works for the rainy season continue countrywide.
Meanwhile, Mustapha pointed out that while work was carried out on several canals within the area additional work is still needed. He said, starting from Alness through Whim/Bloomfield “we will clean all the canals in the cultivation area so the farmers will have clean canals.”
In addition to this, Mustapha stressed that at the end of the project there will be a maintenance programme that will come from the community. “So y’all form yourselves into groups, we are not giving individuals this work.”
In terms of the cattle pastures, Mustapha said, that at the Kokerite Savannah and nearby savannahs a lot of work will be done on the canals and dams to assist the cattle farmers “because the last time we had the flood almost thousands of cattle died.”
He then pleaded with the residents and farmers gathered to assist in maintaining the works as he stressed that large sums of money are being spent.
Mustapha also announced that every single parent within the Alness – Whim/Bloomfield area will be given 25 black giant chickens each along with a bag of feed to assist them with developing an income for their households.
