Building of Hope Canal is priority – Jagdeo

Jan 06, 2009 News

The proposed canal to drain the East Demerara Water Conservancy through Hope, East Coast Demerara will cost some $3B.
Yesterday, President Bharrat Jagdeo announced that cuts will be made to other developmental projects in order to reallocate resources to the building of the structure.
According to the Head of State, this project will take priority, since works have to be done on the conservancy side as well as the sea defense side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Intermediary structures as well as a long high-level canal will have to be built.
This canal will be a minimum of 80 feet wide.
Provision was made for the project in the 2009 budget.
However, it will take at least one and a half years for the venture to be completed.
When contacted yesterday, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said that, by this weekend, there will be advertisements for technical services in the finalization of the design for that project.
He added that preliminary works have been carried out, with the identification of a 300-foot wide reserve for the project.
This canal will be east of where the school at Hope is presently.
The new structure will not go where the Hope outfall is since it will be a separate formation.
The minister pointed out that the President’s decision to give the project priority is very much welcome, as it will bring tremendous relief to residents of Mahaica and Mahaicony communities that are under flood threat each time the water levels in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) get to a critical point.
In the latter part of 2008, construction works on the Hope Housing Scheme were stopped, as a decision to facilitate the release of excess water from the EDWC through that neighbourhood was made.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, subsequently told the media that Cabinet concluded its examination of options on ensuring the safety of the EDWC by improving its drainage flow from the area.
He noted that hydrological flow studies indicated that additional drainage was needed to ensure safety.
This decision, he added, will lead to some relocation of homes and the abandonment of awards of house lots that would be lying in the intended path of the canal.
He noted that the flow design of the intended works would be such as to minimise drainage into the Mahaica Creek and its tributaries.
In 2004, Hope was identified as the area to relocate squatters from West Berbice.
Several persons from flood-hit communities were also given house lots in that area.

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