The Industry/Plaisance Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) on Tuesday received a mini excavator to improve drainage and irrigation systems within its jurisdiction.
The equipment was handed over by Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha at the NDC’s East Coast Demerara office.
Minister Mustapha emphasised the government’s commitment to developing a comprehensive national drainage system to mitigate flooding, particularly on the East Coast and other vulnerable areas.
“This NDC received a mini excavator to clear the internal drains, while NDIA has been doing the large canals and clearing up the primary systems in terms of the main canals” the minister stated.
Acting Chairperson of the Industry/Plaisance NDC, Vanessa Benn was urged by the Minister to develop a structured work programme, prioritising critical areas and keeping residents informed of planned activities.
The government will cover technical and maintenance costs, as well as provide fuel and an operator for the excavator. The NDC will be responsible for supervising the groundwork and identifying areas needing attention.
“This will be almost 35 excavators we are giving out to various NDC’s. In the coming weeks we will be giving another set of NDCs on the east coast, east bank, Region Five and some in Region Six; we have already given out a number of them in Region Two and Three,” the agriculture minister said.
In efforts to continuously enhance drainage and irrigation across the country, the agriculture minister underscored that the government is investing $73 billion in 2025 which is a significant increase from the $7 billion expended in 2020. (Department of Public Information)
