Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha says remedial works will begin on the shabby koker at Alliance Road, Timehri to bring relief to residents who have been affected by flooding.
The Minister made this commitment on Tuesday when he visited the community to assess the situation, following complaints by residents. The community has been experiencing flooding for the past week as water from the Demerara River has breached the koker.
Minister Mustapha said steps would be taken to address the situation speedily. “It is in a very terrible state and I am very appalled at the structure here. I have since immediately instructed that remedial work must be done,” the Minister said.
The Minister instructed the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to mobilize resources to fix the shabby structure. He said the Civil Defence Commission was also be contacted to monitor flooding in the community. Excavators would also be dispatched to start extensive cleaning of all the drains.
Minister Mustapha also engaged residents on other hardships they had experienced due to the flooding. A team from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority was expected to return to the community today to conduct an assessment of the losses and to determine how support can be provided to persons who lost livestock.
$12 billion was allocated to the NDIA through Budget 2021 to address critical drainage projects countrywide. Approximately $30 million of that sum has been approved for the construction of drainage systems and infrastructure in the Demerara-Mahaica District.
Director-General at the Ministry, Mr. Madanlall Ramraj, NDIA Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lionel Wordsworth and Mr. Fredrick Flatts were also at the outreach.