Heavy public investments aimed at preventing flooding across the country will result in the opening up of some 85,000 acres of farmland in Regions Five and Six.
This is according to Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who was at the time speaking at his weekly press briefing on Thursday.
Dr Jagdeo pointed out that the government is working on a flood relief programme which will be funded by 85 per cent of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) earnings.
This money will be used to “build sluices around the country, 40 additional pumps—even for Georgetown, the one at Liliendaal that we are building—and to build these canals (Hope-like canals) right across the country, that was the idea, we started the consultation,” he said.
“So in Region Five, we have an $18 billion project funded only from LCDS money—not a cent from taxpayers. We are going to build 86 kilometres of flood protection embankments. An embankment from Mahaica to Mahaicony, like the conservancy dam we have here in Region Four—45.9 km—and Mahaicony to Abary—40 km… 510 km of internal drains, 283 km between Mahaica and Mahaicony, and between Mahaicony and Abary, 226 km,” he explained.
The Vice-President further highlighted that these works will significantly benefit farmers within Regions Four and Five, as they will open up thousands of acres of land, providing substantial support for small-scale farmers.
“So we are now going to open up new lands, apart from saving the other communities. Between Mahaica and Mahaicony, we are going to open up 31,000 acres of land, and between Mahaicony and Abary, 24,000 acres of land. So that’s 55,000 acres of new land that would be available for distribution, particularly to small farmers—the people who are just starting—because a lot of our smaller farmers now need land to expand cultivation. That will bring a massive increase in Gross Domestic Product, create new growth poles, etc.,” the Vice-President said.
He added that in Region Six, 42 km of flood embankment will be developed, along with 103 km of internal drains. This project will open up an additional 30,000 acres of land.
He also explained that while this project will create new land for cultivation, it will significantly reduce flooding within the surrounding communities.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo
