Dear Editor,
As reported in SN of March 15, the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) has started to install the first of six geo-textile tubes to function as groynes along the Kitty to Kingston foreshore.
The design objective of these geo-textile tube groynes according to the MPW is to stabilize the beach, and trap sediment drifting in a westerly direction along the foreshore towards the Demerara River estuary. It is further claimed that these tubes have been used internationally as a cost effective material alternative for coastal and marine projects at locations similar to those along coastal Guyana.
Neither the MPW nor the supplier of the tubes could categorically state the locations where geo-textile tubes filled with sand have been successfully used to stabilize beaches from erosion as well as to trap suspended sediments. This is another example of MPW spending scarce public resources on a dubious project. Further, groynes are built to meet certain specifications such as their heights relative to high tide level, their proper alignment with the wall and incoming waves and distance apart if they are to satisfy their design objectives which is to trap sand and shell moving along the coast, thereby building up the foreshore to dampen wave action and hence prevent erosion. They cannot be placed willy-nilly as is the case with these tubes which are likely to prove useless.
The money now being wasted on geo-textile groynes would have been better spent shoring up the sea defence from Camp Street to Kingston. The coping has to be raised and the toe lowered and strengthened to provide the desired protection. That stretch of wall from Camp Street to the Kitty Pump Station is in good shape and should be able to withstand many years of high tide battering without a possible breach, as MPW has done a good job reinforcing it.
It is evident that MPW is not getting the sound technical advice necessary to protect coastal Guyana as its sea and river defence continues to crumble with breaches here and there at an alarming rate. The patchwork being executed at various locations where breaches occur would not solve the underlying problem which requires a programme of planned maintenance to prevent surprises which could be devastating, as recent overtopping of the wall at the Conversation Tree location clearly illustrated.
Financing for the sea defences has and will continue to be a problem, but the few resources which are made available should be carefully spent in meaningful ways to shore up the defences, thereby protecting the people and their assets from inundation. To start with MPW should get a competent consultant to review the various sea defence reports on file in light of such developments as sea level rise and foreshore erosion, then examine the condition of existing infrastructures with respect to their effectiveness to contain any eventuality and prepare a priority based blueprint for upgrade, repairs and maintenance of the system and for action to be taken as is necessary.
MWH should not be deluded that it has the staff to carry out such an exercise. Those who are there are too busy with administrative and other duties and too willing to tell Minister Benn what he would like to hear. He needs fresh thinking at this juncture to assist him to make the critical decisions necessary to halt the continuous deterioration of the sea and river defence through the application of sound engineering practice and not be experimenting with unproven methods.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Sohan
