Feverish efforts by personnel from BK International Inc were mounted yesterday as the once-sealed East Demerara Conservancy Dam breach began to give away, refreshing the flood threat to residents of Cane Grove, Mahaica.

Revetment piles, rails and steel sheets previously placed to secure the breached section of the dam had begun to collapse under pressure of rising water levels in the conservancy. The dam was breached in the wee hours of Saturday morning leaving between 700-800 families affected by the flooding. Water was as high as five feet in some areas.

According to a press release and fact sheet issued by the Government Information Agency (GINA) on Monday, the breach had been sealed at 2300 hrs on Sunday and "backfilling and reinforcement of the weakened sections" had commenced. However, when Stabroek News visited the site on Monday, there was no evidence of such activity.

Another press release issued by the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday, through GINA, said that the breach had only been sealed temporarily and work was taking place "around the clock," to permanently seal it. A visit to the area by Stabroek News yesterday, saw workmen from the contracting firm BK International under the direction of Managing Director, Brian Tiwari, attempting to erect what he called a permanent structure at the rear of the collapsing one.

According to Tiwari, the present works would see a permanent structure being erected in line with the dam, following which the earth dam would be reconstructed at its front. Questioned on the status of the earlier work, Tiwari stated that it was a temporary structure to stem the flow of water into the neighbouring residential and agricultural areas.

The Agriculture Ministry release said that close inspection and monitoring of the entire dam would be undertaken.

The initial line of steel sheeting piles installed, the release stated, was to reduce the flow of water while creating a protective shield for the second line of steel sheeting piles.

The heavy force of the water it continued, caused some shifting of piles in this protection, resulting in an increase in seepage.

The release said that work on installing the second line of protection should be completed last evening. Tiwari said that the permanent works had been delayed because of the need to mobilise materials, specifically logs, which they now had on site.

The collapse, according to Tiwari, was the result of rising water levels in the conservancy, which saw water beginning to spill over the 25 ft sheets erected and eventually causing their collapse.

The release from the Ministry of Agriculture said that various drainage efforts were in full gear, which included seven pumps working round the clock.

According to the release, once there was no major technical setbacks, residents of Cane Grove would continue to see floodwaters receding continuously.

This was evident in the community yesterday where persons were a lot more relaxed and attending to their daily chores. Sections of the community closer to the conservancy dam along with large portions of rice fields and dams remained under water for a fifth continuous day.

There was some concern by residents that the second breach of the dam could result in a reversal of their good fortune of the last two days where water had been continuously receding. Some visited the area of the breach to see firsthand the work being carried out.

Several residents and some members of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council had expressed concerns regarding recent work done on the conservancy dam. Among the allegations was that pegasse soil had been excavated from near the dam and placed on its top, weakening its foundations when the contract had required that the material be transported from at least half-a-mile away from the dam.

Questioned on the specifics of that contract, Tiwari said he would prefer to let his Chief Engineer Garfield Barrow who was expected shortly, comment. However, up to when this newspaper left at 4:00 pm, Barrow had not arrived.

Meanwhile, the team to investigate the breach of the East Demerara Conservancy Dam will be headed by GUYSUCO's Director of Agricultural Services, Dr Harold Davis Jr, according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon.

Speaking with reporters at a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday at the Office of the President, Dr Luncheon said that the Cabinet took the decision to ascertain the reason for the breach after it was updated about the magnitude of the problems it had caused.

He said that the other members of the team would comprise engineers from the Guyana Defence Force, the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary- Agricultural Development Authority; the Sea and River Defence and a private engineer.

Dr Luncheon said that once access to their services had been formalized their names would be made available, as well as the team's terms of reference. This, he said, should be in place before the end of week. The terms of reference, he said, could provide for monetary value being placed on the damage done as a result of the flooding.

Meanwhile, he said that the disaster response, which is being coordinated by the military and other government agencies continued to provide much needed services to the affected residents.

The cabinet secretary could not put a dollar value on the assistance being provided to the residents, but he said that as government funds were being used the accounts would be audited.

He explained that since 1996 the contents and value of the weekly food hamper distributed by the Civil Defence Commission had changed and surmised that its present value was between $4,000-$5,000.

Dr Luncheon also noted the response of the business community including Courts, which he said had requested from his office information about the families affected.