Local News

Govt inks over $112M in D&I contracts for Linden

21 December 2024
This content originally appeared on INews Guyana.
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Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha handing over the excavator on Friday

The Government on Friday awarded 52 contracts to the tune of $112 million for drainage and irrigation works in the mining town of Linden.

Overseeing the contract signing on Friday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha highlighted that over the years, the Government has been investing heavily in drainage and irrigation infrastructure in the region.

While addressing the gathering, Mustapha explained the contracts will be executed in two phases representing a total investment of over $224 million for 2024.

Amelia’s Ward Phase 3 Community Development Council (CDC), 1st Ville (Buckville) CDC, Burnham Drive CDC, Dalawalla CDC, Retrieve CDC, and 58 Miles CDC were among the groups that were awarded contracts for drainage and irrigation works in their respective areas.

Moreover, Minister Mustapha disclosed that over the last four years, approximately $1.5 billion was expended to execute several other critical projects in the region. Some of the projects include the rehabilitation of 34 kilometres of access road at Ebini/Kimbia to support the corn and soya bean project, the construction of agro-processing facilities, cleaning and desilting of drains in Silvertown, Wismar, and Retrive in Linden

Several scheduled and emergency works were also done to clear critical drainage and irrigation channels in West Watooka, Cacatara Creek, Silvertown and Wismar.

Additionally, the Minister handed over a mini excavator to the region valued at $13 million to assist with cleaning and desilting drainage channels within the region.

Addressing the aftermath of heavy rainfall that caused flooding in multiple areas, the Minister related that critical drainage and irrigation works were executed to address the situation and bring relief to the residents.

The Ministry, in collaboration with other agencies including the Ministry of Public Works, has mobilised machinery to desilt canals and engaged in manual cleaning with residents in areas such as West Watooka and Fairs Rust.

Over the past four years, significant D&I works in Region 10 have seen an investment of $1.5 billion, enhancing farmer access to farmlands and reducing flooding. Some $320.1 million was spent in 2020, $297.7 million in 2021, $198.2 million in 2022, $226.5 million in 2023 and $552.7 million this year.

Notable projects encompass erosion control, excavation works, and the construction of a $38.5 million, 250-foot dam at Coomaka, alongside the ongoing assessment of the $40 million rehabilitation of the Coomacka Mines Flood Control Dam this year.

Additionally, $41.3 million was allocated for the construction of conservancy dams and the rehabilitation of D&I channels in West Watooka and Linden, while an investment of $116.2 million has been made for the construction of D&I structures in these areas. Furthermore, an annual expenditure of over $200 million was budgeted for the manual maintenance of drains creeks within the region.