NO NEED FOR QUARRELING

Mar 25, 2011 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) is a lifeline for farmers and for the sugar industry. Without it, there would be a lack of adequate water to irrigate the hundreds of rice fields, farms and the entire estates of eastern Demerara.
The EDWC is, however, also a major threat to the people of this country, for if it is breached it will cause serious damage to large number of Guyanese. The last time the conservancy suffered a breach, the residents of Cane Grove were inundated with water for days, despite the fact that the breach was quickly sealed. It was that breach, rather than the floods of 2005, which awakened Guyanese to the possibility of a major disaster should the conservancy overtop and its banks are broken.
As such, since the 2005 floods, greater attention has been paid to maintaining the conservancy. But whatever maintenance has been done has not been able to prevent the conservancy reaching dangerous levels, and since 2005, water has been released into the Mahaica and Mahaicony areas at least three times. That the affected farmers continue to go back to the land, represents an act of faith, because it is never easy to recover from the losses that are suffered whenever the emergency sluices have to be released.
The creeks themselves have problems draining into the Atlantic, and are believed to be in need of de- silting at the mouth, something that requires a major intervention which is many years down the line.
Taking this into consideration, the government has taken a decision to construct a relief canal at Hope on the East Coast of Demerara. This is no doubt based on an assessment that no matter how much improvement is made to the existing outlets that drain into the Demerara River, it will not have the desired effect in the shortest possible time to allow the water levels at the Flagstaff end to decrease.
This is not rocket science. The residents of the Canal polders would understand this, because that canal is so long that when it fills up, it takes time for the water levels at the western extremities to be reduced because of the length of the canal. Therefore, while improving the discharges at the three outlets of the conservancy into the Demerara River will allow the western sections of the conservancy to enjoy a level that will not pose a threat to the mud dam, in instances where there is a large volume of water collected into the conservancy, such as after heavy rainfall, it does not allow the level at the Flagstaff end to decrease. This is the simplest way in which the problem can be explained.
As such, a relief channel is to be constructed at the eastern end of the conservancy to help maintain safe levels at the Flagstaff end. There is no doubt that this channel will help. But what most persons have been concerned about was whether there could not have been a cheaper alternative.
Such an assessment has to be made based on the analysis that is available, and there are persons trained in this area. There have been in the press, a number of opinions expressing concerns about the proposed Hope Outfall Channel, and there is an easy way for this debate to be converted into a constructive one.
Instead of one set of individuals having to hit at the project and the government have to at every turn defend the project, it may be helpful if the government makes available to those well-intentioned individuals, the many studies that have been done, and allow for a process of constructive consultations whereby the concerns of the individuals have been addressed.
There is no need to be arguing when both sides have the same objective: that is, to ensure that the conservancy remains safe for all concerned. Those who have been critical of the project are no doubt keen to avoid a disaster happening and their criticisms must be seen in this context. But at the same time, they do not have all the information available and if they did, perhaps they would be better able to appreciate the government’s side.
The government on the other hand has nothing to lose by taking on board the concerns of the critics and therefore the best approach would be for all sides to sit down in a cordial atmosphere and discuss the project, including the cost.

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NO NEED FOR QUARRELING

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