Official outlines massive 2007 sea defence programme
Guyana Chronicle
March 28, 2007
PROJECT Manager of the Sea Defence Unit in the Ministry of Public Works and Communications, Ms. Agnes Dalrymple has outlined a massive programme for this year.
She told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that smooth progress is being made in all targeted areas.
Works ongoing at Crane and Ruimzeight, West Coast Demerara, are expected to be completed by month end while one of the three projects at Wakenaam in the Essequibo River is finished and the remaining works on the island are accelerating, Dalrymple said.
She reported that, at Crane, on the West Coast Demerara, work had already been done on one section of the village when another eroded, resulting in need for more and the contract for an additional 200 metres, in ‘rip-rap’ design, was awarded to the same contractor.
Dalrymple said 13 projects are continuing from 2006 and are slated for completion by June, at which time new ones are scheduled to come on stream.
“We’ll be pretty busy this year. We’ve been doing well so far and we will continue to improve the sea defences.”
Dalrymple said, this year, $750M will be spent on annual capital works and an additional $39M on emergencies and those expenditures would improve the sea defences in vulnerable parts of Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice), Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Berbice).
Meantime, bigger sea defence jobs are moving ahead in Regions Two and Three under a $3.6 billion scheme, at Capoey/Columbia in Region Two and Hague, Met-en-Meerzorg and De Kinderen in Region Three, all for scheduled completion this year, she said.
Dalrymple said they are all part of the government’s investments to improve and maintain sea defences.
Billions of dollars have been expended over the years to repair damaged structures in several vulnerable places but, despite this, there is still an estimated 40 kilometres in need of urgent repairs, she pointed out.
Dalrymple said, although the government has addressed several critical areas during the past decade, many others have deteriorated as a result of age and increasing sea levels.