Over 400 farmers and other residents on the Essequibo coast are slated to benefit from the installation of the Lima Pump Station which was commissioned by the Government earlier today.
During the official commissioning ceremony which took place on site, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo told the gathering, including farmers and residents that farmers will no longer have to suffer from excessive flooding, an issue which has plagued the farming community for some time. It is expected that the drainage pump will drain water from approximately 15,000 acres of land.
According to a GINA release, this project is expected to benefit farmers in the communities of La Belle Alliance, Lima, Coffee Grove, Ankuku, Sparta, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Anna Regina, Richmond and Henrietta. Those areas are said to have vast expanses of agriculture with rice cultivation as the main activity.
The Prime Minister urged those who will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the facility to ensure that it’s used efficiently as effective management is important so residents don’t have to suffer from unnecessary flooding.
The overall cost of the project is $289M, and it was executed by Samaroo Investments. It is the last of eight pumps commissioned under the Line of Credit from the Indian government.
Meanwhile, in his presentation, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder advised the gathering that building the pump station at Lima was strategic, as that area has the largest watershed acreage.
The pump station has the capacity to remove 200 cubic feet of water per second. This represents a 150% increase in pumping capacity at that location and it means that for every inch of rainfall the water will drain faster.
Holder said the investment will directly benefit 435 farmers and indirectly benefit 700 linked to the network. These farmers will be able to increase their acreage and yield thus reducing losses and increasing profits.
