Dutch team to present drainage model in a few days

Sep 01, 2016 News

-workshops with key stakeholders to follow
The Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) Team which began its assessment of Guyana’s drainage system last July, is set to make its final presentation in a few days. This was reported to Kaieteur News yesterday, when contact was made with

Chairman of NTFS, Major General Rtd. Joe Singh

Major General (Rtd) Joe Singh, chairman of the National Task Force Secretariat (NTFS).
Major General Singh said that following the final presentation slated for next Wednesday September 7, the DRR Team will conduct workshops with relevant stakeholders on September 8 and 9. He said that during the Team’s seven-week stay in Guyana, they were doing work particularly in the Ruimveldt and Liliendaal area, the catchment areas identified by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, the NTFS and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.
The recorded data was used to create a model which is not only applicable to the Georgetown area, but can be used countrywide. He said that the information was used to inform the modelling process. This is possible, since the variables common to any particular region can be inputted into the model to determine what would be the outcome if certain conditions exist, including high levels of rainfall and drainage capacity.
According to the Chairman, the group travelled around the country to get a holistic view of the primary, secondary and tertiary drainage systems. As such, fundamental information was employed and imported into the model, making it more informed of drainage in the Guyanese context.
He said that the Team had been working closely with local counterparts such as the NDIA, City Engineers of the Georgetown M&CC, Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the University of Guyana.
The workshops will be held with students of UG and personnel from relevant agencies to inform them of the findings.
The Dutch team consists of Peter Vijn, Thijmen Yaspers Focks, Siebe Dorrepaul Yos Muller and their team leader Joost Remmers, Masters students of Delft University, Netherlands. The young men are representing the DRR Team which visited Guyana last November.
During their first engagement with the media in July, Remmers said that his team would try to understand the drainage system in Georgetown and build on the work which was done by the previous DRR Team. He said that his team is overwhelmed by their arrival in Guyana and hopes that they can do a good job so as to make contributions for a better and safer Georgetown.
In January 2016, the DRR Team which visited in November recommended that there should be an upgrade to the City’s hydraulic modelling capabilities for the catchment areas of Guyana. It is this recommendation which was the focus of the team’s work in Guyana.
Other recommendations included an upgrade of modelling capacity, improving the flood resiliency of people, an upgrade to small-scale floating dredging capabilities, develop and apply rational risk approach, “Living with Water” Pilot project, proper Asset Management, Data Management and to make technical short-term improvements.

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