A new dredge and push boat costing some $948.9 million have been added to the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority’s (NDIA) fleet, strengthening its capacity to maintain drainage channels, clear river outfalls and reduce flooding in agricultural and residential communities across Guyana.
The equipment will enable the authority to undertake critical dredging operations along major waterways, including the Abary, Pomeroon, Mahaica and Mahaicony Rivers, without relying on external contractors.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha handed over the equipment at the GAICO Marine Facility in Nismes, West Bank of Demerara, on Friday.
The dredge is an 18-inch cutterhead vessel measuring approximately 96 feet six inches long and 30 feet wide. Powered by an 800-horsepower engine, it can dredge to depths of up to 50 feet and move between 285 and 400 cubic metres of material per hour and is accompanied by a push boat.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Minister Mustapha stressed that the equipment will help farmers and residents who have long endured inadequate drainage infrastructure, poorly maintained canals and recurring flooding, which have affected agricultural production and the effective use of farmland.
“There is a fundamental difference between a government that makes promises and a government that delivers. Your government has chosen the part of delivery to you, and that is what we are committed to,” the agriculture minister emphasised.
The government will continue investing in modern equipment and infrastructure to protect agricultural livelihoods, expand production and improve communities’ resilience against increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
NDIA Chairman Lionel Wordsworth said the dredge will significantly improve the authority’s ability to maintain approximately 292 sluices countrywide by clearing their outfalls and other critical waterways.
In the coming weeks, a selected batch of NDIA staff will receive three months of operational training from the contractor to ensure they can operate and maintain the equipment effectively. [DPI]
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