Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud has informed the National Assembly that rehabilitation work on the koker door at the Guysuco pump station at Montrose, East Coast Demerara is expected to be completed by May 24.
The work which was scheduled to commence last Thursday is being undertaken collaboratively by the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) and GUYSUCO, Minister Persaud said in responding in writing to a question by PNCR-1G Member of Parliament Anthony Vieira by way of Notice Paper No. 234. The answer was circulated at Thursday’s sitting of Parliament.
The PNCR-1G MP had asked the minister to inform the National Assembly when Guysuco would fix the koker at the Montrose pumping station “to enable all five pumps located there to work to full capacity during all tides.”
Minister Persaud explained that “the fixing of this koker door will not enable all five pumps to work at full capacity during all tides because the pumping station was designed to operate at full capacity only when the tides are below 2.90 M GD.”
However, GUYSUCO and the NDIA are at present “coordinating activities to enhance the present infrastructure at the Montrose pump station to allow for continuous operation of all five pumps at full capacity during all tides,” Persaud stated.
The minister said further that the koker door had developed problems about three years ago after the 2005 floods but due to the porous state of the structure no major repairs could have been undertaken.
Minor repairs were undertaken and the door remained in a manageable condition. In 2007, Persaud added, a contract was awarded by GUYSUCO to replace the door with flap gates, but the contractor was unable to mobilize to undertake the works and the contract was terminated.
