Dear Editor,
In SN of November 18, Mr Chandan, Corporate Secretary of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) implied that my statement about the NDIA considering the Flagstaff-Mahaica route rather than the Hope Canal as a possible relief for floodwaters from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) was inaccurate and misleading (‘The conclusion that the proposed Hope relief canal is seriously flawed is quite misleading’).
There is no contention that the EDWC needs another outlet at its eastern boundary to relieve floodwater during periods of heavy rainfall as well as to prevent the Lama and Maduni sluices discharging their floodwater into the Mahaica River. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), NDIA and their consultants have formulated three options for consideration. Two for the Hope Canal and another for the Flagstaff-Mahaica route. Mr Chandan did not state which option MoA/NDIA considered the most applicable and economical to implement, although the consultants were of the opinion that the third option was the most promising and further detailed investigations should be carried out which has and is being done. Therefore the NDIA should state categorically which option it is pursuing, its stage of development, its estimated costs, source of funding and when construction is likely to start before making spurious charges of inaccuracies and deception. It is this spin on information about a vital project that the people of Region 4 are deeply concerned about.
If my letter was indeed full of inaccuracies and misleading, then these claims should have been listed in his letter rather than trying to confuse readers with such unsubstantiated statements that harnessing the floodwaters of the EDWC will be an aid to counter-measures against flooding in the Mahaica/ Mahaicony/Abary (MMA) areas.
Finally, Mr Chandan claimed that mangrove cultivation as proposed by President Jagdeo would be feasible, implying that mangroves could be successfully planted to aid in preventing soil erosion and strengthening the sea defences. It will be useful if he could indicate the locations in coastal Guyana where mangroves have been successfully planted to achieve these objectives as past experiments have indicated otherwise.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Sohan
