The dredging of the Pomeroon River mouth is nearing completion with final works being done, says Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva.
De Silva stated the that project which is being executed by Gaico Construction and General Services Inc, has improved the drainage situation in the Pomeroon. She said that recently, the Pomeroon had experienced heavy rainfall and farmlands that were flooded previously were dry, and she attributed this to the dredging.
De Silva acknowledged that for years the farmers had been requesting that the river mouth be dredged and said she is happy that the project was pursued. She posited that this will be a boost for the Pomeroon River and open up commerce.
The dredging project experienced several delays.
On April 12, 2022 the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) under the Ministry of Agriculture signed a $569,300,000 contract with Gaico Construction for the dredging. The project was to have been completed around September 2022 and this was then pushed back to February 2023. Work was thereafter suspended after problems were experienced. The dredging resumed in October last year.
In September last year, Gaico Construction and General Services Inc’s Chief Executive Officer Komal Singh had explained that there was a delay in continuing the project owing to the fact that it had never been examined in detail so that its full complexity could be understood.
Having begun the dredging, he said, and cutting the channel using the backhoe operation, the company needed to mobilise to begin phase two, which would see the operation going deeper and wider. He explained that the river mouth had not been dredged for 20 years and a hydrographic survey had found that the river was over 16 to 18 feet deep, but at the mouth, there was heavy siltation.
Coconut husks which were dumped in the river, were said to be a major contributor to the siltation. According to the company, these degraded over time, adding to the siltation in the river mouth. This led to excess water backing up on the land, resulting in catastrophic floods for residents along the Pomeroon River.
