President Irfaan Ali yesterday commissioned a new $45m pump in Tucberg Park, New Amsterdam, which is expected to significantly improve drain-age within the area which often floods during heavy rainfall.
Further, after walking through the township of New Amsterdam, Ali announced that a new pump will also be placed at Pitt Street which is also easily flooded.
Ali at the commissioning held yesterday afternoon reminded those gathered of the importance of having a town council that is willing to work with the central government. He said, “With the right town council ready to work with central government we are going to invest in a massive overhaul in the internal drainage system of the township.”
New Amsterdamers have long complained about the need for improved drainage within the town.
Ali told those gathered that the town must be brightened and reenergized, “You do that by creating an environment that welcomes people.”
According to Ali, not only the industrial and commercial development will be the draw factor for the town but the potential for tourism must also not be underestimated. “We can build products second to none, we can make the township holiday hot spots for persons coming wanting to enjoy Berbice… We have tremendous potential so I want to say to you that as we commission this facility today be ready for explosive development in this region.”
According to him, Region Six is geared to grow tremendously as the economic prosperity is tied to a government that has a firm understanding of the macro vision.
“We are working on the next generation of projects; a new single-crossing bridge across the Berbice River so it doesn’t have open and closing, we are talking about ways in which we will expand investment in Palmyra to support the expansion of New Amsterdam, a new housing project, a new four-lane highway, the expansion of this highway all the way to Molsen Creek, the bridging of the Corentyne River, that is where our energy is”, he said.
Ali stressed that talk of division and race is “politics of the past” and that there is no place for such in modern Guyana. “The modern Guyana is a Guy-ana that we worry every day about development, about progress, about the upliftment of the lives of people, transforming our education system, our healthcare system, that is where our energy must be concentrated.”
Meanwhile, Ali along with Minister of Agricul-ture, Zulfikar Mustapha and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar walked throughout the town of New Amsterdam yesterday meeting with shoppers, vendors, business owners, and passersby to listen to concerns.
Stabroek News was told that a number of persons highlighted the issue of Pitt Street, New Amsterdam being flooded quickly after the rain starts – a decade-old issue.
As such at the commissioning, the President announced that a pump will be placed at the location to assist with the issue.
Pitt Street is one of the main shopping hubs in the town of New Amsterdam, and Ali said, “We are going to put another pump in this township because we want this township to be dry.”
Mustapha at the commissioning explained that the pump at Tucberg Park was a promise by President Ali who during a previous visit pledged to look at ways to manage the drainage system within the town to alleviate flooding situations.
According to Mustapha, in Berbice, there are four massive pump stations being built presently while another new one will soon be awarded to be built shortly at Letter Kenny, Corentyne “to drain those areas in the central Corentyne and we will be having more infrastructural work done here in New Amsterdam.”
The commissioning of the pump
