Dear Editor,
In Notice Paper No 123 of the Tenth Parliament of Guyana, it was observed that in response to a question raised by Mr Ramjattan, MP, as to whether the developer of the Hope Canal Project had submitted any data to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Robert Persaud, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, in a written reply stated that the developer of the construction of the Hope Canal Project had submitted to the EPA a ‘Feasibility Study’ for the project.
It was unfortunate that at the time the response was given, Mr Ramjattan was apparently unaware that no feasibility study was ever carried out on the Hope Canal Project, nor was any engineering study done to determine the merits of the Hope/Dochfour area as the best possible location of the East Demerara Water Conservancy’s (EDWC) Northern Relief Channel. Further, as a result of the 2005 floods and upon a request from the Government of Guyana (GoG), a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team prepared an Impact Report on the disaster and recommended therein that a review of the hydraulic system of the EDWC should take place, and because of agricultural and population growth along the coastland new requirements need to be considered, one of which was the construction of a spillway at the western side of the conservancy to discharge high volumes of floodwater toward the Demerara River. Based on these and other considerations, it is reasonable to conclude that the siting of the EDWC Northern Relief Channel in the Hope/Dochour area was based on political considerations and not on its technical merits, since no backup data which determined the relief channel should be sited at the Hope/Dochfour location to discharge floodwaters into the Atlantic Ocean were ever made public, nor the final decision and the basis therefor to proceed with the project, as these are still shrouded in secrecy.
A construction permit was issued under the Environmental Protection Act of 1996 to the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in 2011. The EPA approved an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) with terms and conditions for construction and inter alia with respect to relocation and displacement, the NDIA should ensure that all drainage and irrigation (D&I) structures to be disrupted by construction activities are replaced to allow for continuous provision of the service.
The project is about 50% completed but very little has been done to replace those D&I facilities which have and are being disrupted as a result of construction activities. As a result, homesteads and farms in the Hope/Dochfour area continue to experience flooding during heavy rainfall and loss of crops due to lack of irrigation during dry spells, while the EPA looks the other way as it has failed in its compliance monitoring and reporting to enforce the provisions of the permit it granted to NDIA.
Finally, as reported by Dr Luncheon, GoG Cabinet has approved over $80M for fuel and spares for equipment working on the excavation of the Hope Canal in addition to the millions already spent. Bids for material to build the sluice gates have recently been opened at costs ranging from $54M upwards. At this juncture no one knows for sure the final cost for the Hope Canal or when the project will be functionally completed, as several project works not budgeted for remain to be done including the Atlantic foreshore outfall channel − a costly venture. Funding and contract completion time for this project are not ad-infinitum. Dr Ramsammy, Agriculture Minister has stated that the project will be completed by June 2013, while Dr Luncheon in his recent pronouncement stated that he cannot say for certain when. These inconsistencies should be reconciled to assure Guyanese that their scarce tax dollars are not being poured down yet another sinkhole. Therefore, a mid-term review of the project to assess progress made in implementing project activities and the costs related thereto present and future is long overdue.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Sohan
