The Mayor and City Council, along with its engineering team and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority [NDIA] are working to replace the bottom half of the Cowan Street sluice door which broke during last Friday night’s high tide.
The joint team is working to replace the current wooden door with a steel plate.
Alfred Mentore, Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, told Stabroek News yesterday that there was no flooding in the city when the door suffered the damage as other pumps and sluices in the city were in continuous operation.
Meanwhile, on the Ministry of Agriculture’s Facebook page, it was stated that engineers from the NDIA are constantly monitoring the sluice to ensure there is no seepage of water from the Demerara River. Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, himself visited the sluice after receiving reports about the damaged door. Mustapha noted that resources were mobilized and temporary stop logs installed while contractors worked to repair the damage. He was accompanied by NDIA Chairman, Lionel Wordsworth, and other officials from the ministry.
Wordsworth told Stabroek News yesterday that he received the report on Friday night and promptly responded to prevent any flooding. He noted that while there was no flooding, nevertheless, preventative systems were immediately put in place.
Stabroek News visited the sluice yesterday during low tide and was informed by a worker, Kellon Chichester, that the sluice door remains inoperable but it is the expectation that it will soon be replaced. He noted that there was no flooding in the area, and the stop logs were removed to allow excess water [from the canal] to be drained as it was low tide.
