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Engineering solution for overtopping to be submitted shortly

May 30, 2013 News

Technical staff of the Public Works Ministry is currently working on engineering solutions to deal with overtopping from the Atlantic Ocean. Several solutions are being deliberated by Public Works Ministry’s technical team.
These solutions would be presented to Transport and Hydraulics Minister, Robeson Benn, before a decision is taken on the way forward.
Sandbags lining the Rupert Craig Highway seawall from Kitty to Liliendaal are only a temporary measure to keep overtopped water from the Atlantic Ocean from flooding nearby homes and businesses.
This is according to Geoffrey Vaughn, Coordinator of the Ministry’s Works Services Group, yesterday.
Vaughn said that the recent overtopping which saw high waves splashing over the seawall is as a result of a low pressure system compounded by the erosion cycle. This is a natural phenomenon which moved in phases. For instance, a similar event occurred in 2008 at Better Hope, where large waves overtopped the seawall.
He said that the Ministry is working to ensure that groynes, or geotubes, or rip-rap construction are put in place to trap the sediments thus reducing the impact of the erosion.
Though Vaughn does not want to speculate where the next phase of the erosion cycle would crop up he said the cycle is moving down. The Ministry is concerned that the sediments may get into the Demerara bar where large vessels traverse. If this were to happen, it would be costly to dredge the area.
As such, the Ministry is working on finding the engineering solutions.
Dismissing assertions that the Ministry does not have a planned sea and river defence programme, he said that the sector has a five-year plan that was recently completed and deals with rehabilitation, construction and reconstruction. In addition, there is a sea and river defence implementation plan.
According to Vaughn, the Ministry has been rehabilitating, constructing and reconstructing sea and river defences along the coastline for years. Many projects were executed under the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth European Development Fund (EDF). The Caribbean Development Bank also helped to finance several projects.
The Inter-American Development Bank has stated that it is willing to fund some sea defence projects, adding to the many strides to safeguard Guyana’s coast.
Besides, funding from international agencies Government has been dedicating local funding. Vaughn said that last year the National Budget reflected $1.2B for river and sea defence. This year $1.4B has been allocated for the sector.
Behind the scenes of building infrastructure a lot of works are done in relation to surveys and data collection.
Vaughn said that under the 8th EDF Bathymetric surveys were done, information on river bed level and materials were obtained and mud shoal and mud shoal migration were tracked.
In addition, the Ministry has been collaborating with the Hydrometeorological Office to obtain hydrological and rainfall data.
Vaughn said that information gathered is essential. As such “round the clock” assessments are done, a GIS database has been implemented and water gauges data are collected from Stabroek, Abary and Parika. They are also used for monitoring the sea defence.

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