Dear Editor,
I have read with interest a letter in the Stabroek News dated November 17th, 2009 titled `The possibility of a Flagstaff-Mahaica route to take off floodwaters from the conservancy is now being explored rather than the Hope Canal’ which is filled with inaccuracies and is quite misleading.

I wish to note that the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and its consultants have considered all options inclusive of routing flows from Flagstaff to the downstream end of the Mahaica River in a comprehensive hydrological study of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) flood plain. This was necessary in designing a new relief structure for a reservoir of this nature. As an engineer, Mr. Sohan should know that all options for a new outlet of the EDWC with such a complex flow system would have had to be examined in arriving at the most applicable and economical solution to be implemented.

Reading Mr. Sohan’s letter, it leaves one to wonder where he got his information from in pre-empting conclusions regarding the design of the new outlet at Hope/Dochfour.

Mr. Sohan’s conclusion that the proposed project is seriously flawed is quite misleading since the Ministry of Agriculture’s NDIA has ongoing technical work in designing the proposed outlet.  Technical assessment of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and its flow system by both local and international experts indicate that the EDWC require an additional outlet in order to improve its safety standards in responding to extreme storm events. (In such an event, it will also aid as a counter-measure against flooding in the MMA areas).

Hydraulic modeling of the EDWC was carried out in 2004 under the Hydrology and Water Resources study for Guyana D&I Rehabilitation Project and further updated in 2005 by the TFIR, which provides analytical output from which recommendations were derived in improving the flow and discharge system.

Rainfall patterns and water level recordings have indicated that rainfall water accumulation along the North/East section of the conservancy takes a much longer period to discharge through the eastern relief structures, thus the need for a new outlet to the Atlantic.

This by no means spells abandonment for the proposed project as Mr. Sohan portrays in his letter. Further, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) remains open to constructive criticism and not pre-empting conclusions.

In concluding, I beg to differ with Mr. Sohan with regard to the proposed mangrove cultivation project by President Jagdeo which would be feasible since it would aid with the issue of soil erosion and help to strengthen the sea defences.

Yours faithfully,
Omadatt Chandan
Corporate Secretary,
NDIA