Engineering professionals would be embarking on a peer review of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) dam breach, after a detailed study of the reports has been done to examine the performance of the professionals who participated in the project, Stabroek News understands. The engineering professionals are also planning to host a public forum to ventilate every aspect of the issue.

Cabinet has found that contracting firm, BK International Inc, and executing agency, National Drainage and Irrigation Board (NDIB) were both culpable for the November breach of the EDWC dam.

It recommended that penalties be imposed and remedial action taken. The Attorney General's Chambers was mandated to tender legal advice on the penalties and remedial action.

Asked yesterday about the Cabinet findings on the breach report,

retired chief engineer (roads) and technical advisor to the Ministry of Economic Development, Phillip Allsopp, described the outcome of the breach investigation as an unfortunate indictment of the quality of engineering design for earth works, which is a specialised area. "It is unfortunate for the reputation of the NDIB engineers," he said.

It was his view, too, that both the contractor and the engineer were culpable.

He stated that a specialist should have been engaged to do the design and specifications of the project and not a voluntary service officer (VSO) as indicated in the investigating team's report. "Some serious mistakes were made. The VSO was not well experienced. If the government or the NDIB did not have the expertise they should have contracted it from outside. The government engineering forces do not have the full capability to do such projects," he said.

The investigating team's report had stated that BK's manner of execution diverged completely from the method statement and was not in accordance with general conditions, technical specifications and the bill of quantities.

The report also said NDIB did not provide a surveyor to monitor the works.

It said there were insufficient supervisors to adequately cover all the operations carried out by the contractor and the technical support from NDIB was weak.

Government had appointed an independent team to investigate the breach, which had caused millions of dollars worth of damage and loss of livestock in Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara.

The team comprised Dr Harold Davis, agricultural services director of Guyana Sugar Corporation; George Howard, chief river and sea defence officer; Colonel John Lewis of the Guyana Defence Force; and engineers, Raymond Latchmansingh and Paul Sarran.

Stabroek News was unable to contact any senior official of BK yesterday, but the company had issued an earlier statement saying nothing was proven conclusively and that everything was speculation and "unscientific extrapolation."

A senior engineer contacted by this newspaper yesterday said that it was the view of professionals in the engineering field that the EDWC dam remained a threat and would come under severe testing when the rainy season began.

The engineer said that not only was Cane Grove under threat, but also areas along the coast such as Buxton, Belfield and Lusignan. He said the public outcry over this particular incident was because of the life threatening situation.

According to him, it is the first time lives had been under threat even though Guyana has experienced quite a few engineering foul ups in recent years such as the Mon Repos sea defence failure and the floating away of the Charity wharf.