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Hope canal attracts international engineers
Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, along with officers within the Ministry of Agriculture, at a meet with the press yesterday.
The Conservancy Relief Channel is a massive project that requires greater engineering capability than the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority or the Ministry of Works currently possess.
This is according to Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, who told the media yesterday that the project will also require much more equipment.
During a press conference to update the media on the current flood situation, the Minister stated that there is need for expert and focused expertise to supplement NDIA’s capacity.
This comes one day after President Bharrat Jagdeo publicly stated that neither the NDIA nor the Ministry of Public Works has the capacity to design or construct the imminent channel at Hope, East Coast Demerara.
Yesterday, Persaud said that the best approach in the given situation is for the design and construction to be contracted out.
“If we were, through the NDIA, to execute just the earthen works alone for this Hope project, it will mean that we will have to take away half of the fleet of equipment that we have across the coast and dedicate them to one project.”
This move, he said, will mean that at least 12 to 14 areas will suffer while the focus is on the project.
“The best thing to do in the given situation is that we outsource this but it will be supervised by an external firm, which will also be overlooked by the various agencies.”
The situation, he added, is definitely one of limited capacity and resources.
“Timing is very critical because I do not think that we can take away the excavators from Region Three and dedicate them to this project…because then the farmers and agricultural areas in Region Three will have to suffer.
It is a question of time, available resources and having technical work done,” Persaud added.
Despite Persaud’s justifications, the Head of State clearly stated on Wednesday, “I want it to be done by a good international engineering firm.”
The Conservancy Relief Canal will be a minimum of 80 feet wide.
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 is at Hope.
The new structure will not go where the Hope outfall is; it will be a separate formation.
This structure is expected to bring relief to residents of Mahaica and Mahaicony communities that are under flood threat each time the water levels in EDWC reaches a critical point.
Meanwhile, Minister Persaud yesterday highlighted several interventions that were made during the rainy season.
During the current rainy season the NDIA, Persaud said, has been supporting regional authorities in expediting urgent interventions to better manage the high intensity rainfall.
These include the deployment of pumps and additional equipment from GuySuCo, emergency excavation works and repairs to damaged drainage structures, supply of more fuel, technical advice and other support.
As part of the interventions, the Guyana Marketing Corporation has also been meeting with affected farmers to provide market linkages and to make possible interventions.
The corporation will be retailing produce for farmers at locations around the city beginning this weekend.
Whilst, according to the Minister, there has been no shortage, there are some affected areas where supplies have dipped and efforts are being made to ensure that other areas meet those existing demands.
But even as these interventions are taking place, the Minister is urging persons to ‘be on alert’ and not ‘take things for granted’ as more rains are expected.
The current rainy season is very active with rainfall recordings of 60 percent above normal.
Wet conditions are expected over Guyana during the remaining of the weekend. (Tusika Martin)
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