Dear Editor,
On Sunday, January 10, 2021, Minister in the Ministry of Works, Deodat Indar sought to blame BK International for the apparent delay in the sea defence project at Andrews, Essequibo Coast.
In articles appearing in the press, Minister Indar said that the company has been known to be slow in executing contracts.
He said that the Andrews project should have been completed last August, however, up to Sunday, the project was a mere 15 per cent complete.
This conclusion was rejected by BK International. Chief Engineer, Ganesh Sawh, said that the project was 23 per cent complete. He said that the Ministry of Public Works was responsible for the delay. The Ministry, last year, ordered BK International to proceed to Mahai-cony where a massive breach existed.
This breach was 500 meters wide and the two contractors working to seal it were there for two years but could not seal it.
The order from the Ministry was for BK International to proceed to Mahaicony and replace the two contractors. The Ministry also ordered BK International to use all resources necessary. One resource that was not available at Mahaicony was geotextile fabric.
BK International was ordered to ship the fabric from Andrews on the Essequibo Coast. This is a material that cannot be obtained locally. It has to be imported. The company transferred the fabric in February but it was required to place a fresh order from the suppliers in the Netherlands.
At the time the COVID-19 pandemic was raging around the world. Shipping supplies was a difficult task. The order that was made in March did not arrive in Guyana until September 18, 2020. That replacement shipment was not shipped to Andrews until the following months.
Mr. Sawh said that Minister Indar did not need to travel to Andrews on the Essequibo Coast to know about the transfer of the fabric. That information could have been provided by his technical team. It could also be obtained through a simple phone call to the company.
Instead, Mr. Indar was critical of the situation. He told the local press that he would deal with BK International personally. This prompted Sawh to say that Minister Indar is either misinformed or that he was getting personal with the company.
By this time BK International had sealed a 500-metre breach at Mahaicony in less than 40 days.
Commenting on the pace of the progress, Mr. Sawh said that the rip rap sea defence work is executed in five stages, each at a cost. Minister Indar had told the press that BK International had been paid 70 per cent of the contract cost but had only completed 15 per cent of the work.
Mr. Sawh said that that was far from the truth. He said that the money paid in keeping with the contract represented 100 per cent of the material cost. The actual work that involved the foundation for the sea defence project was almost complete.
This aspect of the work cannot be seen at a glance because it is below the surface. It involves stabilizing the base of the sea defence project. The remainder of the project including labour is still unpaid.
There was also a problem with the acquisition of sand. The government sand pit on the Essequibo Coast was closed. The other pit on a reservation was closed as soon as the rainy season began.
Mr. Sawh said that contrary to statements by Minister Indar It is clear that BK International is more than capable of handling any and all sea defence projects. It constructed a 500 metre permanent sea defence structure at Affiance, Essequibo Coast.
The company has more than 30 years of proven record and has completed an estimated 100 kilometres of sea defence in Guyana.
On numerous occasions it was called on to replace contractors who could not complete those jobs or were unable to undertake the projects.
The Chief Engineer has said that the Andrews project would be completed within another six weeks.
Yours faithfully,
Brian Tiwarie
Chief Executive Officer,
BK International
