Home President's Speeches O.P Statements
Policy Position Current Photos Comments and Responses Media Advisory

 

Five new outfalls earmarked for conservancy water
- project may be awarded next week - February 26, 2005

 

Government will soon begin work on the proposals of the Dutch and local engineers to increase the number of outlets from the conservancy to the rivers to avoid the blowing of water into the Mahaica River.

At a media conference yesterday, President Bharrat Jagdeo said that once this proposal is implemented, the flooding in the Mahaica area, should decrease significantly.

“We need to start work immediately on the conservancy dam and the Dutch engineers along with our local people have done an assessment,” the President said.

Among some of the proposals earmarked for improving the conservancy are the clearing and dredging of canals and fixing of kokers for the new outfalls.

The President said five new outfalls from the conservancy, two on the East Coast and three going into the Demerara River will be established.

“They said to me that these, if cleared and the outfalls are prepared, the capacity would be greater that the Maduini and Lama sluices,” he added.

The farmers lost almost all their produce, both cash crops and rice when the Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks overflowed, flooding both agricultural and residential lands. The creeks were filled beyond capacity after the East Demerara Conservancy water was blown into the Mahaica and Demerara rivers to prevent the conservancy dam from collapsing under the pressure of excessive water.

The conservancy, when it exceeds its capacity, is periodically blown into these rivers. During the floods, farmers were informed of the consequences. However, the Administration had no choice, but to take this course of actions, as the Mahaica, Mahaicony and East Coast Demerara areas would have been severely flooded should the conservancy dam collapsed.

“Those people forever, once there is high rainfall and the conservancy dam goes to a threatened level, the water is released into the Mahaica River and it subsequently flood the areas. So we have to find new solutions. So I hope that by next week latest, a contract would be awarded to start preparing these five new outlets to the Demerara River and the Atlantic ocean so incase the water level rise in the conservancy, that we would have these new places to blow water,” President Jagdeo stressed.

The President said on February 25, he requested the donor community to meet the drainage and irrigation team.

Adding that “I hope that by next week they can go through an accelerated system of procurement,” he said.

The engineers are starting the project with sketches to save time and have the project completed before the May/June rains. The designs are likely to be improved as the project moves along.

The President noted that this plan is not only applicable to strengthening the conservancy dam and creating more outlets, but also a major programme for D&I infrastructure to be refurbished.

“That would be done a little later, we are trying to pull together the money for it now…we are already trying to reorient some of our existing loans to go that route. I have spoken to the President of the CDB (Dr. Compton Bourne). I have asked that they process an emergency loan for us too,” he said.

The CDB conducted an assessment of the situation and its President is to contact President Jagdeo on the emergency loan.