Six years after a devastating flood in which it is believed to have played a major role, a US$2.7M contract was signed on Wednesday for studies of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) aimed at gaining a better understanding of how it operates.
The deal is a consultancy contract between the Guyana Government and Mott McDonald from the United Kingdom and CEMCO Inc. and will see a study and assessment on the EDWC, being undertaken in a comprehensive way. It was signed at Flag Staff, Cane Grove, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara. It falls under the US$3.8M Conservancy Adaptation Project (CAP) which aims to provide a comprehensive Master Plan necessary for contemplating interventions aimed at increasing the current discharge capacity of the flood control system.
Flooding, including the Great Flood of 2005 has severely affected Guyana’s economy. To enable a clear understanding of the drainage regimes and the interventions necessary to increase the drainage capacity and hence reduce the frequent flooding of vulnerable areas, the CAP was formulated and support was received from the World Bank and Global Environment Facility (GEF). However, there have been delays in getting the studies started and it has only gotten off the ground five years after the CAP was formulated.
Delivering remarks at the signing ceremony, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud pointed out that the Government recognises that in moving forward it is important to undertake proper scientific interventions, to determine the correct method of the EDWC, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
As such, he said that the study which will now be undertaken will significantly allow a better understanding of how the conservancy operates and what interventions are best needed to better manage floods. “This project comes out of the international communities’ recognition of Guyana’s vulnerability of climate change and the need for us to undertake interventions such as (CAP), that so that we can adequately prepare to manage the effects of climate change,” he was quoted as saying.
While commending the World Bank for its assistance in making the study possible, the Agriculture Minister stated that several aspects of the project have already been implemented which include remedial work to the structure at the Lama canal; procurement of pontoon and excavators to improve capacity and now the long awaited investment studies, GINA said.
It reported Persaud as saying that the Administration looks forward to the output as well as recommendations as the Ministry seeks to make the entire coast line in the long-term, more resilient to the effects of the extreme weather conditions. “It will also allow us to determine where we build structures because while this can be considered as the main conservancy due to the highest risk and vulnerabilities we also have other conservancies where from time to time you find similar challenges too,” he said.
While referring to the effects the La Nina weather condition posed recently, he said that from time to time the conservancies have been under stress due to the above normal rainfall and the country’s vulnerability of being below sea level. However, he added that over the last five years there has not been a failure in the EDWC due to the prudent management of the economy and the huge investments into the drainage and irrigation sector.
GINA said that while cultivation has been expanding rapidly along the coast, these types of infrastructures are timely and will have to be expanded to further develop and accelerate ‘Climate Smart Agriculture’ to better manage flood and boost production and productivity.
According to GINA, Persaud said that for those who may criticise the project in the future, Government is prepared and will continue to make investments to deal with climate change to better the livelihoods of the populace. Citing the need for more to be done, he said that with support from the international community this will augur well for the economy to head in the right direction as it relates to development disaster preparation.
“We have already advanced our arrangements with another partner which is the Japanese Government and very soon we will be concluding a (US)$5M support, we have already had about 13 technical missions from the said Government coming to Guyana to support us in the EDWC,” he was quoted as saying.
The project which is funded by a grant from the World Bank is a 24-month contract. On October 1 last year President Bharrat Jagdeo and Persaud witnessed the start of work on the new relief channel at Hope/Dochfour at the EDWC. This is expected to significantly change the circumstances of people in East Coast Demerara communities who have suffered from flooding for decades, GINA said.
