Dear Editor,
The Stabroek News editorial dated Monday December 22, 2008, captioned ‘Tinker-ing,’ contains several inaccuracies and misrepresentations of facts relating to the National Drainage and Irriga-tion Authority’s (NDIA’s) execution of its mandate.
The editorial, in criticizing government for what it describes as “tinkering” and “waiting for some cash-rich donor country or multilateral institution” to assist in upgrading the drainage system, asserts that all drainage works undertaken by the NDIA since 2005 can be deemed as part of “regular maintenance.” This is wholly inaccurate.
The NDIA wishes to clarify that it has responsibility for the primary drainage system in agricultural communities. The township and village drainage systems are managed by the respective municipalities, Regional Demo-cratic Councils and Neigh-bourhood Democratic Coun-cils. However, the NDIA based on requests and availability of resources does provide technical and material support to these bodies.
For the record, immediately after the 2005 floods, the Government of Guyana established a task force for infrastructure recovery comprising both local and international engineers. The Task Force for Infrastructure Recovery (TFIR) implemented several drainage projects in Regions 2, 3, 4 and 5, including the East Demerara Water Conser-vancy (EDWC) and Boe-rasirie Conservancy. Major works included new outlets for the EDWC at Kofi and the installation of six new drainage pumps along the East Coast, which were all recommendations of the TFIR. The NDIA Drainage Development Plan is being guided by the recommendations of the TFIR and the ECLAC Report.
Additionally, 9 miles of embankment between Flag-staff and Annandale were elevated. A 200ft revetment at Shanks on the EDWC was also constructed and 22 miles of embankment and the perimeter channel from Leonora to the Five Door Sluice was rehabilitated.
Subsequent to the 2005 floods, the government prepared a recovery plan for the EDWC to increase the storage capacity and efficiency of drainage. Through both international and local funding, government was able to undertake a substantial amount of works towards this end. Ongoing is a US$3.8M World Bank-funded East Demerara Conservancy Adaptation Project which will address some of the long-term needs of this critical waterway.
The fact is that since the January 2005 flood, heightened efforts have been made to improve the NDIA’s flood prevention and management capabilities, especially in light of changing weather patterns and greater demand for drainage and irrigation systems due to an increase in farming activity.
There is ample evidence that with the available resources necessary preparations were undertaken by the NDIA. Town Councils, RDCs and NDCs were also advised to undertake similar activities.
The interventions made by the NDIA surpasses that of “regular maintenance” as suggested by the editorial, and are in fact works carried out to expand and improve the existing drainage system.
The editor alluded to the effects of climate change which suggests that there is some level of understanding about the consequences it is having and will continue to have on countries around the world. As such, the editor can appreciate the fact that the volume and intensity of rainfall currently being experienced is well above the normal patterns.
Rainfall over most of Guyana so far for December 2008 was characterized mainly by the persistence presence of low to mid-level troughs and upper-level systems that were quite active. As a result December rainfall can be classified as very wet for many locations, particularly in Regions 3 and 4.
Data available between December 1-18 indicate heavy rains (totals greater than 380 mm) were concentrated mainly in Regions 2,3,4,5 during December 2008. Better Hope, Supe-naam, Capoey, Wales, Georgetown, Ogle, Good Hope, Enmore and Bee Hive are among some of the places in Guyana that recorded an excess of 425mm of rainfall so far for the month of December 2008.
Had extensive work not been done to the country’s drainage system since the 2005 floods, we may well have found ourselves in a disaster or crisis-type situation. However, this is not the case.
One would expect debaters to be fully aware of the contextual propaganda and constraints affecting the natural drainage systems.
Yours faithfully,
Tiana Khan
Corporate Secretary
NDIA
Editor’s note
Contrary to the letter writer’s assertion the editorial did not say that all of the work done by the NDIA “since 2005 can be deemed as part of `regular maintenance.’” The editorial referred to the year 2008 and said, “In the main these are works that would be consistent with regular maintenance of the vast array of drainage systems under its purview.”
Our primary contention remains that the government has not done enough on the drainage front since 2005.
