INEPT WATER USERS BODY DISBANDED

Contractor of the WUA makes a point.

The Water Users Association in Parika Back, East Bank Essequibo has been disbanded by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud following complaints by farmers that the association was not functioning properly.
The minister ordered that the agreement governing the association be reviewed after farmers also expressed a loss of confi - dence in the executives.
Persaud said the way forward is to elect a new executive body after an investigation.

During the meeting, one farmer pointed out that the association was charging $ 1,500 per acre to clean the drains, but was not doing the job properly. The farmers said that the fee is exorbitant.
The contractor of the association is the father of the ranger who is tasked with overlooking the works done by the association, and, according to the minister, this is a conflict of interest.

Persaud questioned what method of transparency was employed in the work of the WUA. Another ranger informed the minister that there were public meetings and anyone offering to take the contract would receive it after an informal bid was placed, since most people were not interested because of the small amount of money paid to do the work.

When questioned about the finances of the associa tion, the head of the WUA said the entity “ had about $ 1,000 in their bank account”. One farmer called for an investigation after this minuscule figure was disclosed by the official.
The minister, however, said that the association was faced with financial difficul ties, since farmers refused to pay for the service provided.

The minister noted that following reports of conflict of interest, the investigation was launched not only into the association’s ac tivities, but also its finan cial position. He explained that an investigation can be launched if there are suspicions that the delegation agreement was breached.

The delegation agreement, he added, is an agreement between the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority ( NDIA) and the Water Users Association to execute work for farmers by farmers.
The association is made up of farmers who are empowered under the agreement to collect rates and execute work, and the agreement can be reviewed if the NDIA feels or has reason to believe it has been breached.
Water Users Associations are a fairly new phenomenon, and empower farmers across the country. All 12 of them were started three years ago.