Government will make a decision tomorrow on action following the findings of the investigation into the breach of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) dam last November.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon, told reporters yesterday at his weekly press conference that the National Drainage and Irrigation Board (NDIB) had submitted its response on the findings of the breach probe to Cabinet.

Luncheon said three aspects of the investigating team's report came under close scrutiny by Cabinet. They were: the team's comments on the design of the dam; the role of the NDIB as the consultant and supervisor of the works; and the role of the contractor, BK International Inc in the project.

The report had criticised BK and the NDIB for not following established procedures and had also cited digging too close to the dam by the contractor as a possible factor. The breach flooded the East Coast village of Cane Grove causing severe dislocation and loss of crops and livestock.

Luncheon said Cabinet's considerations were not helped by BK's failure to submit any formal reaction to the team's findings and "as a consequence the Cabinet meeting resolved to continue deliberations on April 12 when a decision on the proper course will be made."

He stated that while the Office of the President would be acting on the basis of the report, he believed that the sentiment existed that the parties involved should be given a chance to respond to the team's findings, but the contractor elected not to submit a response.

The HPS also said that BK declined to submit documents when requested during the team's investigations.

Managing Director of BK, Brian Tiwarie, could not be contacted for a comment yesterday but a senior company official told Stabroek News that he was unaware of any formal request for a response from the company on the findings.

According to the official, the company was not in receipt of any such document and the contractor would "have to know what to respond to."

The official also pointed out that all the required documentation was submitted to the NDIB, but he was made to understand that some was lost when a fire swept through the board's offices.

"I want to believe there was no question that something was seriously wrong with the [EDWC dam] project, considering the non-cooperation of the contractor," Luncheon said.

He stated that Cabinet was unprepared to act unilaterally on the basis of the team's report and will continue to consult with stakeholders.