THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was yesterday continuing a close watch on the East Demerara Conservancy dam as workers raced to reinforce the site of the temporarily sealed breach which Tuesday night caved in under pressure from rising water.

The stretch of sheet pilings driven at the section of the dam which collapsed before dawn Saturday leading to widespread flooding at Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara, buckled late Tuesday night with B&K construction firm boss, Mr. Brian Tiwari admitting that they knew it would have.

The latest setback in the emergency repair operation came as the Government yesterday named Director of Regional Services at the Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Harold Davis Jnr. to head a five-man special investigative team to determine the cause of the breach.

The Army's relief effort at Cane Grove, dubbed `Operation Floodgate', continued yesterday with the major task too of monitoring the East Demerara Conservancy embankment.

At the breach site yesterday, Tiwari told the Chronicle that the sheet piles, which stopped water from flowing into Cane Grove at around 01:00 hrs Monday, were driven into the conservancy itself.

He said that after the water level in the conservancy rose after sundown Tuesday, the sheet piles came under pressure.

The sheet piles, Tiwari said, were put across a stretch of about 25 feet and the first line was just a temporary measure to "ease the pressure off."

He was on hand to supervise the installation of a second line of steel sheeting piles.

Asked if he did not expect the first line would have caved in, Tiwari told the Chronicle, "We knew, because the sheets (are) too short. That was just temporary."

"This is permanent," he said of the second line being put in place into the conservancy dam itself, estimating that this would go across 80 feet.

"If this caves in, something wrong," he added.

With the water pressure forcing the sheet piles to buckle, water from the conservancy rushed with force through the openings. However, up to about 16:00 hrs yesterday, there was no indication that floodwaters at Cane Grove were rising again.

B&K was awarded a $360M contract to strengthen 28 miles of the East Demerara Conservancy dam in a three-phased project scheduled for completion by February next year.

The firm is undertaking the emergency works at the site.

Residential areas and farmlands were flooded, in some places by about four feet of water, for some 48 hours after the dam broke at about 03:00 hrs Saturday.

The several drainage efforts were in full gear yesterday with seven pumps working round the clock.

"If there are no major technical setbacks, residents of Cane Grove will continue to see floodwaters receding," the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.

Presidential Secretariat Head, Dr. Roger Luncheon announced yesterday that the other four members to head the investigative team into the breach will be named by the end of the week and will be presented with the terms of reference, following which they will commence work.

Apart from Dr. Davis, the team will comprise an engineer from the military, the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary Agriculture Development Authority, the Ministry of Public Works and a river and sea defence specialist.

The Army, which was called in to offer humanitarian and surveillance/security services at Cane Grove, set up on the ground at around 04:00 hrs on Sunday and is continuing its work.

Yesterday the Marine Corps was monitoring the East Demerara Conservancy dam for possible weak areas.

Lieutenant Colonel Christine King, GDF Staff Officer responsible for Civil Affairs, visited Cane Grove for a firsthand observation of the Army's work on behalf of Chief of Staff Brigadier Michael Atherly.

On Tuesday, the Army distributed a total of 670 hampers of food rations, expected to last a family one week.

Minister of Local Government, Mr. Harripersaud Nokta said "the situation continues to be monitored and if needs be," the Government will consider further assistance.

Cane Grove Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Chairman, Mr. Harry Algu, refuted claims by some that residents from all the sections at Cane Grove were not provided with the food hampers.

According to documents shown to the Chronicle by the Army, hampers were presented to families at Manager's Line (42), Virginia West (104), Homestead (11), Saywah (154), Virginia East (83), Coconut Dam (106) and Estate (107).

Duplication caused some 15 persons, according to Algu, to not have food hampers and he said this was being looked into.

He also said that hampers were given to 11 persons who claimed that their names were not recorded when the NDC carried out a census of the community.

Offering an assessment of the Army's work at Cane Grove, Lt. Colonel King pointed out that from Sunday to Monday, breakfast, lunch and dinner were being supplied to Cane Grove residents, while meals were provided to cane cutters on Monday and Tuesday at 04:30 hrs.

The Army supplied cooked meals for about 700 on Tuesday evening for the last time since the relief had switched to providing food hampers.

The Army closed off its evacuation exercise, which dealt mainly with transporting Bygeval Secondary students to school, on Tuesday, according to King.

She said too that the Army was working closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure there was no serious health problem at Cane Grove.

Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy told the Chronicle that yesterday, 24 persons were treated for acute respiratory infection, 10 for diarrhoea and 129 adults and children received Tetanus vaccines.

Ramsammy said the health situation continues to be monitored.

Nokta said that all the agencies working on bringing relief to Cane Grove residents were working with "complete and total coordination."