$11B allocated for infrastructure - Agriculture Minister

$11B allocated for infrastructure – Agriculture Minister

Feb 24, 2009 News

Heavy investment in Drainage and Irrigation structures is set to continue in 2009, with over $11B set aside for the upgrading of infrastructure, which will work alongside a number of projects that have been co-financed by international institutions.

These investments, according to Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, during the Parliamentary debates, are expected to improve the efficiency of the drainage infrastructure and reduce the prevalence of flooding, which will lead to an increase in agricultural production and productivity.
Addressing some of the plans for the Drainage and Irrigation sector during 2009, Persaud said that $7.9B has been allocated to construct and rehabilitate and maintain drainage and irrigation structures.

In the MMA region, he noted $163.7M will go towards civil works and fostering agricultural development.
He added that the US$3.8M World Bank Conservancy Adaptation Project will finance the development of the technical foundation for a master plan of future interventions within the EDWC.
This will also be in lowland drainage systems, as well as specific upgrading works and operational improvements aimed at enhancing the flood-control capacity of the EDWC.

These works are expected to improve the ability to manage water levels behind the EDWC dam during heavy rains by improving internal water flows in the EDWC, and increasing EDWC drainage relief capacity to the Demerara River and eventually the Atlantic Ocean.
Based on analytical outputs, Persaud added, additional upgrading of water control structures will also be undertaken.

Speaking about the Conservancy Relief Channel at Hope, East Coast Demerara, Persaud explained that $2B to construct this alternative discharge outlet has already been budgeted.
Technical assessment of the EDWC and its flow system by both local and international experts indicated, he added, that the conservancy requires an additional outlet in order to improve its safety standards in responding to extreme storm events.

Hydraulic modelling of the EDWC was carried out in 2004 under the Hydrology and Water Resources study for Guyana D&I Rehabilitation Project, and further updated in 2005 by the Task Force for Infrastructure Recovery, which provides analytical output from which recommendations were derived in improving the flow and discharge system.

The Final report of the TFIR, 2005, prepared by experts from Mott MacDonald, local engineers, with input from engineers out of Holland, recommends that a new outlet be constructed, probably the size of Land of Caanan sluice. This is to evacuate a 10,000-year flood storm, the Minister explained.

Rainfall pattern and water level recordings have indicated that rainfall water accumulation along the North/East section of the conservancy takes a much longer period to discharge through the eastern relief structures, thus the need for a new outlet to the Atlantic. As such, he noted, a decision was taken to construct a new outlet at Hope/Dochfour.

Consultancy services have since been solicited. Implementation of the project requires technical studies and assessment, he said, in developing the most suitable structural design and operation procedures for the outlet.

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