The Ministry of Public Works, under its Sea and River Defence Maintenance programme, has embarked on the construction of a boulder wall along the Mahaica River to protect farmers affected by flood water during high tides.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the $4.3M structure will serve as a buffer from the water during spring tides. Geoffrey Vaughn, Chief Sea and River Defence Officer, who was on site to inspect ongoing works yesterday, was quoted as saying that the key defence structure will significantly serve as a protecting gauge for overtopping of sea defences in the area. He added that in the past, the area was prone to flooding in the event of a spring tide which has significantly affected the livelihood of residents. “Work was awarded in late December and we are expecting the work to be completed within the next three weeks, since the contractors are ahead of schedule,” Vaughn said.
He pointed out that over the next few days the country is expected to have another spring tide at 3.4 metres and as such the department will be monitoring to ensure that the structure can adequately withstand its effects. Similar works are also moving apace across the country, particularly at Craig, East Bank Demerara, where a revetment will be constructed, GINA noted.
Vaughn and team also visited the newly constructed $4.9M earthen embankment at Mosquito Hall, Mahaica yesterday. The 1000 metre embankment dam has also been constructed to prevent the overtopping of salt water during spring tides. Approximately 4,000 residents will directly benefit from the project “In terms of doing reinforcement, this is what we have done here in terms of constructing this earthen embankment which will protect any water from coming into the landward side,” Vaughn was reported as saying.
Other areas which have benefited from similar work include East Bank Berbice and East and West Bank Demerara. However, Vaughn noted that notwithstanding the work being implemented, residents still need to take precautionary measures during spring tide, since tides are expected to be even higher that usual.
