As government strategises to combat flooding on the coast, a new pump and sluice will soon be built at Herstelling on the East Bank of Demerara, two pumping stations have been promised by the European Union (EU) and aid is being sought for six mobile pumps.
“Under the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) they will build a pump station and sluice at Herstelling on the East Bank of Demerara, on the Demerara River. That design is already completed it is just the construction now,” Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Frederick Flatts told Stabroek News yesterday.
The announcement of a pump station and sluice to channel excess water into the Demerara River comes even as the EU last week pledged two additional pumping stations with outfalls, to be possibly positioned also along the Demerara River.
It was EU programme Officer, Odran Hayes, who pointed to a report compiled by a Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands team that assessed Georgetown’s drainage system and which had identified a number of “bottlenecks”. He said that the government is working on a plan to address these.
As such, the European Union has pledged, using funding from the 11th European Development Fund, financial support for two pumping stations with outfalls.
He said that a decision has not yet been made where they will be located but along the Demerara River was being mulled.
“The Government of Guyana is implementing a programme to open the channels and address the bottlenecks of the system. From our side, what we are doing under the 11th EDF , known now as Integrated Coastal Management Programme…we would include, as the government has a target to increase the pumping capacity for Georgetown… two new pumping stations with outfalls,” he said.
“The location is yet to be decided, perhaps on the Demerara River, but that will be our contribution,” he added.
He reminded that since the donation would fall under technical support, the EU would not be the procuring agency to hire contractors or see the pumps are delivered and working as should be. When the works are completed they will assess and payments will be made accordingly.
“We would not do the physical work, the government will do it. We will then come and measure what they have done and how they have done it and then we will make the payment to central government,” Haynes asserted.
The EU is also said to be working with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to ensure that there is reform to the country’s archaic Sea Defence Act, formulated over a century ago.
“We will be working with the MPI and CDC on legislative reform to possibly update the Sea Defence Act which is quite old now…to bring in a new disaster risk management bill and will work with CDC to develop regional and municipal disaster risk management plans. There is quite a bit of technical assistance that will be done there,” the EU official said.
Meanwhile, from government’s end, according to Flatts, negotiations are also underway with the Government of India to secure funds for six mobile pumps to be used in Georgetown. However, this goal will not be realized until next year.
Additionally, government was also looking to the Japanese government to build six pump stations.
“In Georgetown we are trying to get some mobile pumps under the Indian line of credit. This is not likely to be realized until next year. Also, Under the Japanese International Corporation Agency we are seeking to build six pump stations in Georgetown. That is going to go along with the dredging of some outfall channels. Getting equipment to clean the drains and also getting a dredger to clear the outfall channels,” he stated.
“Our intention is to improve Georgetown with pumping capacity,” he added.
These new initiatives come amid widespread flooding in major parts of the country over the last two weeks.
