The Ministry of Public Works (PW) has given contractor R. an order to work on the Public market in district Nickerie. And Balwantgir has already started sheeting work behind the public market.
According to the contractor, 40 piles will be driven over a length of 80 meters. The construction of a revetment behind the market in the rice district is an urgent necessity and should prevent further erosion and subsidence. After all with the preparations, it was possible to start installing the first piles on Friday 26 August 2022. The contractor also stated that the sheeting work will take 2 calendar months. Tackling the subsidence of the market floor and the resulting shifted roofs will be discussed in another phase.
Exhibitors have sounded the alarm several times in recent years, but are now very pleased with the approach, because they have had to brave both extreme heat due to bright sunny days and heavy rain showers to market their products. The old fish hall, which was in a deplorable state due to subsidence, has also suffered, but the exhibitors now indicate that they are looking forward to a better run-up and sales. Market visitors are also quite positive when it comes to the approach taken by the Ministry of Public Works.
The PW minister emphasizes the fact that the fish hall, which is located on the Nickerie River, has been struggling for years with the problem of erosion. At high tide and spring tide, the hall also flooded, which caused a lot of nuisance for the peddlers there. In the meantime, the peddlers have been housed in the parking lot of the market for quite some time. In order to prevent further erosion and undermining of this area, PW has opted for a special type of wood that is highly resistant to worms and termites, but can also last longer. The work will be performed by contractor R. Balwantgir from Nickerie and will take approximately 60 days. After completion, the fish hall will be put into use again. Finally, the Ministry of Public Works states that this was an urgent approach that has already started.
