Because of the heavy rainfall swelling the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC), the Hope Canal on the East Coast has been opened since last Thursday.
When Stabroek News visited the Canal at Good Hope yesterday all of the sluice doors were opened and the water was pouring into the sea. According to one of the workers, the doors have been open, without closing, since December 22, and this will continue until the level of the water in the conservancy is at a safe level. There has been no announcement by the government that the canal is in use.
The canal was one of the major projects of the 2006 Bharrat Jagdeo administration in the aftermath of the 2005 Great Flood. It encountered severe delays and the life of the 2011 Donald Ramotar administration expired without it being commissioned.
The controversial project was designed to drain water from the EDWC into the Atlantic Ocean, thereby eliminating the flooding of the Mahaica Creek and its environs. Overtopping of the EDWC was blamed for the catastrophic 2005 Great Flood. The project had missed many deadlines, including the original 18-month period for construction after it commenced in February, 2011. The time frame was extended from June, 2013 to August, then to December, then to June 2014, then to September and again to December. In January of 2015, former Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon blamed cost overruns for the last missed deadline. He had said that most of the work was completed although at that time the eight-door sluice was still to be completed.
The Hope Canal Project has four components: the Northern Relief Channel, which is 10.3km in length from the sea defence embankment and extending to the EDWC; a high level outfall sluice; a conservancy head regulator; and a public bridge.
