Government has spent some $279 million on the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) this year and work is still ongoing to cope with the current rainy season, which is expected to last into the new year.
Yesterday, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud and CEO of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth along with members of the media visited the area where works are being carried out to increase the storage capacity of the conservancy.
Following heavy rain over the past few weeks the level of the conservancy reached 57.8 GD (Georgetown Datum), raising concerns. As such immediate works commenced in the conservancy. These included the clearing of 55 miles of internal waterways in the EDWC, the widening of 20 miles of the conservancy embankment and the construction of a new intake irrigation structure in the conservancy just behind Enmore. According to Persaud, this is intended to serve farming areas.
The minister said over the years, farmers on the East Coast have been depending on pumps to get water into and off their land, which has been very costly. This new drainage system will be operated manually and is expected to be completed by the next dry season. Currently, work on the structure has been halted because of the heavy rainfall but will recommence shortly. The estimated cost for the structure is some $27 million.
Meanwhile, the minister also said that maintenance was being done at the three conservancy outlets. The three outlets now used to release water from the conservancy are the five-door sluice at Land of Canaan, the Kofi Channel and the Cunha Channel, all on the East Bank of Demerara. Persaud said work was being done to upgrade the outlet at Cunha so that more water could be released into the Demerara River. The possibility of opening an outlet in the north leading to the Atlantic Ocean was still being looked at, he said.
“We are looking at this (an outlet to the Atlantic)
possibility because in the event of a reoccurrence of the January 2005 flood we won’t want to revert to releasing water into the Mahaica Creek,” Persaud said. The minister further said that while the dam surrounding the conservancy was not a major concern the authorities were taking no chances and the current work was to ensure the dam was not vulnerable. Since the beginning of the heavy rainfall four excavators have been deployed to the conservancy area.
Persaud said while it seemed as if emphasis was only being placed on the East Coast this was not so, since on a daily basis he was briefed on the situation around the country. He added that only on Wednesday reports came in that some villages on the Essequibo Coast had experienced flooding but the situation was quickly brought under control.
With regard to the hinterland, Persaud pointed out that the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs were monitoring those areas. He said he received reports of heavy rainfall, but no significant flooding.
He added that in areas where there were complaints of heavy flooding and water taking long to drain off the land, investigations found that koker operators were responsible. “We have been receiving reports that the operators for these kokers are not turning up on time to open the koker doors so the water is left on the land for long periods,” Persaud said.
Meanwhile, Wordsworth said the human resources needed to man the conservancy were adequate. He pointed out that staff were placed at strategic points at the conservancy for monitoring purposes. Wordsworth said the staff worked a 24-hour shift system. In the meantime, persons living in low-lying areas and farmers must still take the necessary precautions.
