Haven for some, nightmare for others…Erosion at Coomacka creates beach that may soon block Demerara River

Mar 12, 2018 News

– Drainage officials visit area

By Enid Joaquin

They were in awe…..astounded at the power of erosion and the impact that it can have on the landscape.
It was a powerful illustration on how water can break down and build up.
So powerful in fact, that Chairman of Region Four Genieve Allen took pictures to share with Geography students in that District.
But then again, they might have to come to see the massive beach that was not there twenty or thirty years ago. A beach that now sits in the Demerara River as if it had always been there, and which many contemplate will prove a gargantuan task to remove.
The beach, while providing a haven for relaxation seekers, proves a nightmare for residents during the rainy season and high tides, as the massive space it occupies in the Demerara River results in the huge overflow of water that floods the community.
This phenomenon was unheard of two or three decades ago. But the constant accumulation of sand washing down from the nearby Montgomery Mines has so changed the landscape, that the community’s susceptibility to flooding is something that residents have now been living with for years.
That, and the never-ending promises to implement measures to arrest the situation.
Chairman of Region Ten, Rennis Morian has engaged numerous agencies with a view to coming up with a solution to this problem. However, apart from advice to dredge the river on a regular basis, there is no long-term solution.

The Coomacka beach snaking its way across the Demerara River. This beach has been 30 years in the making.

He has also been engaging his counterparts at the National Drainage and Irrigation Board (NDIA) on this issue for quite some time. This led to a visit by the board members to the area last Wednesday. The team later held their monthly statutory meeting in the RDC boardroom. The Regional Chairman deemed the meeting historic as it was the first time that it was held in Linden.
Prior to the meeting, members were taken on a tour of the beach and saw first-hand, the huge impact that erosion has had on the landscape.
Board members included the Chairpersons of Regions Three, Four, Six and Ten. CEO of NDIA Frederick Flatts, and acting Chairman Omedatt Persaud were also in attendance.
The officials expressed surprise that the beach is threatening to bridge the Demerara River.
Chairman of Region Six, David Armoghan said that to stem the erosion, which is fueling the growth of the beach, a lot of money has to be pumped into the project and this might even necessitate international assistance. Those sentiments were echoed by the acting Chairman of the NDIA. The team was also taken on a site visit to Bucktown where the level of erosion there was also looked at.
They were accompanied by police ranks of ‘E’ Division headed by Commander Anthony Vanderhyden.
Chairman of the Coomacka CDC Dexter Harding said that the community needs help to handle the erosion which has made the community flood prone over the years. He said that if the situation is not arrested early, the Demerara River would be split in two, a situation that would prove problematic for residents living in the upper reaches of the Demerara River whose only means of transportation to Linden is by boat.
Chairman of Region Four, Genevieve Allen took a few pictures which she said she would share with some geography students in her community so that they could fully grasp the power of erosion and how it can impact topography. Allen marvelled at the fact that the beach that the team stood on was where the Demerara River had been.
She posited that the issue needs urgent intervention by both Government and non Governmental Organisations.
According to Allen, Region Ten Chairman, Rennis Morian had always raised the issue of the beach at meetings and how it predisposes the community to flooding along with its threat of bridging the river,” but I had to see this to really understand,” she pointed out.
Morian noted that the beach had grown about three hundred more yards into the river from 1990 and that from last year to now there has been a visible increase in its expanse.
Last year, a team of multi-stakeholder agencies visited Coomacka to determine the way forward to stem the erosion that has resulted in the massive sand beach and to identify solutions as regards the beach itself.
Among the team were officials from MARAD, the Civil Defence Commission, Public Infrastructure Ministry, officials from Bosai and Region Ten Chairman, Rennis Morian and Councillors.
Some of the short-term solutions that were suggested included the dredging of the river, and carting away of the sand, which could be used to build up low-lying areas. There was even the suggestion that residents might have to be relocated.