The Ministry of Agriculture, on Monday, inked a $1,332,575,112 billion contract for the rehabilitation of drainage catchment areas on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), particularly at Liliendaal and Ogle.
Specifically, a $1,288,805,122 contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to General Engineering Supplies and Services Inc., and another contract totaling $43,770,000 was awarded to CEMCO for the supervision of works.
The project, which falls under the World Bank’s US$26 million financing to support the ongoing Guyana Flood Risk Management Project, will improve the drainage in the coastal areas in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), reducing their vulnerability to flooding.
According to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, these catchment areas will benefit the entire eastern part of Region Four.
“This project…will help the entire…eastern part of Region Four and it will contribute to the easing of flooding in these areas,” Mustapha remarked.
He made reference to the 2021 floods which affected every region in the country, noting that since that national disaster, government has made significant investments to improve drainage nationwide.
“Guyana, over the years…we have seen a number of areas that were flooded. In 2005…here in Georgetown and the East Coast would have suffered one of the most serious floods and then in 2021 we would have suffered the most devastating floods in the history of our country. So as a government we are very cognizant of the fact that we have to improve our drainage system, over the years we have been doing that. Over the last two and a half years, we have seen a number of pump stations, new pumps, canals, kokers, sluices and other areas…have been rehabilitated. As we are improving the…drainage and irrigation aspect, the flood risk management of our country, we are seeing more and more development especially in the agriculture sector,” he explained.
In November 2020, the World Bank approved US$26 million in additional financing to support the ongoing Flood Risk Management Project in Guyana. These funds will aid in providing Guyana’s climate resilience, protect economic activity, and reduce the impact of natural disasters.
World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Ozan Sevimli previously stated that 90% of Guyana’s inhabitants live on the narrow coastal plain, much of which lies below sea level and therefore, flooding poses a serious and recurrent risk to both the lives of people and to livelihoods in the agricultural sector.
“These additional resources will help protect some of the country’s most populous areas and build greater resilience,” Sevimli explained.
The project aims to significantly increase flood resilience in the low-lying coastal lands of the East Demerara area, which includes the country’s capital, Georgetown, where much of the population as well as administrative and commercial activities are concentrated.
The additional financing will include extensive work to improve the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC), one of Guyana’s major water storage and flood control facilities. The project will improve the drainage systems that ensure the integrity of the EDWC dams. Water stored in the EDWC dam is used to irrigate agricultural lands, provide water for use in homes, and reduce the risk of flooding.
The project will include an update of the Emergency Preparedness Plan, flood modeling, the rehabilitation of small existing irrigation structures, capacity building, communication, and outreach activities to better inform the public. These activities are expected to contribute to reducing the outbreaks of infectious illnesses due to flooding, alleviating the burden on the healthcare system that is currently managing the Covid-19 pandemic.
