Dear Editor,
I would like to voice my support for the views expressed by Mr. Changlee in his letter to the Stabroek News on November 17th 2024, entitled “Take the flood risks away before doing other infrastructure works”.
Our entire coast on which most of our population resides and on which our livelihoods depend, is in danger of inundation and catastrophic flooding as a result of a changing climate regime, under which the rainfall patterns that we have been accustomed to have changed. This is a global phenomenon. The drainage systems we have in place were designed on the basis of historical rainfall patterns and are incapable of handling the volume of water generated by rainfall events of today (this is compounded by climate change related sea level rise and subsidence of the coastal belt due to aquifer extraction).
Clearing the drainage canals and making sure kokers are opened and shut on time will not alleviate the issue of flooding. What we need is a comprehensive survey of the entire drainage and irrigation system of the coast, using the new rainfall scenarios generated by the present day and projected climate scenarios (these are available for use region wide) and using this as the SCIENTIFIC basis to inform the design and construction of an effective drainage and irrigation system for Guyana’s vulnerable coast. This should be accompanied by interventions to address the adequacy of our sea defences to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels.
This, in my humble opinion, (and here I am in full agreement with Mr Changlee), should be a priority action for the expenditure of the oil revenue. We are going ahead with massive development initiatives (welcome) but putting these in a very vulnerable setting that threatens their future sustainability. Drainage & Irrigation is one of the 4 priority actions in the well-studied and developed Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) for rolling out the climate resilience component of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and needs a comprehensive concerted effort for its implementation.
Addressing this basic issue of the integrity of our coastal space on which the security of our infrastructure, agriculture, livelihoods and our very lives depend is a sine qua non for a sustainable and prosperous future for Guyanese. This is a national issue and leadership must come from this level and must be addressed with the utmost urgency.
Sincerely,
Ulric O’D Trotz
