The contracting firm BK International Inc has rejected claims that its actions might have contributed to the November 3, East Demerara Conservancy Dam breach.

Breaking the silence yesterday, the company said in a press release that it completely rejected responsibility for the occurrences, along with unsubstantiated speculation and conjecture arising from the incident.

The breach, the release stated, came as a complete surprise since the water level was not threatening and BK staff members were working in other sections of conservancy throughout the previous day.

According to the company, its personnel saw the particular dam as late as the afternoon of November 2, and there were no signs of seepage, leakage or impending problems.

Conservancy workers, BK stated, who were planting bamboo on the dam on that particular day, made no report of leakage. One, the release further claimed, passed the area as late as 5:30 pm to close structures and observed nothing unusual.

It is the company's contention, based on its preliminary observations, assessment, and other information, that the breach might have been caused by the hands of persons unknown.

This sentiment was first expressed by BK's Managing Director, Brian Tiwari, who had stated that he felt that the breach was the result of sabotage.

Meanwhile, on the issue of the removal of vegetation the company said that claims that it improperly removed bamboo supporting the dam, which might have contributed to the unfortunate event, were totally without foundation. It further stated that the affected section of the dam had no bamboo at all. This has been disputed by residents including persons who claimed to have been associated with the dam through employment with the Drainage and Irrigation Board (D&IB), who persistently claimed that the vegetation was removed.

The company's release viewed as speculation, remarks by members of the media and the public among whom it said were uninformed residents, who were of the view that BK's actions might have contributed to the breach.

BK International, the release stated, was awarded a contract to do remedial work in the conservancy including cutting bamboo tops and clearing vegetation where necessary, to carry on compaction of the dam. This work was said to be ongoing.

This fact was admitted by Chairman of the D&IB, Ravi Narine, who told reporters that the vegetation including the bamboo had been cleared to facilitate the building up of the dam.

While pledging to cooperate fully with the planned enquiry, BK expressed the hope that a full investigation would reveal all the facts and also expose the persons responsible.

With the final sealing of the breach, the company said it was prepared to work with the appropriate authorities to definitively ascertain its cause with a view to preventing a reoccurrence. It also pledged to continually stand ready, always in the national interest, to place its considerable assets and human resources to both avoid and respond to such situations if and when they occur.

The company advocated a comprehensive national programme of dam review and inspection to minimise the likelihood of such disasters, which it said negatively impacted on the economy, the local community and their means of livelihood.