The government has advertised for consultants to supervise the reconstruction of the north eastern dam of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC). Rebuilding of this dam has been on the agenda since 2005 when the Great Flood swept through the lower East Coast and was believed to have been pumped up by overtopping of the EDWC and seepage from it. Since then, the EDWC has been seen as a significant flood threat and there have been various internationally-financed initiatives to stabilise it.
Appearing in yesterday’s Sunday Stabroek, the Request for Expressions of Interest noted that the Flood Risk Management Project was being undertaken with financing from the World Bank.
It described the objective of the consultancy services as providing supervision that entails reconstruction of about three metres high and at least four kilometres long earth-fill dam on a soft and compressible foundation, employing materials within the conservancy. The main tasks, the notice said, would be