I refer to an article in SN dated November 25, 2009, on the subject ‘Hope Canal still on govt radar –Persaud.’
The Minister of Agriculture has accepted the fact that his technical people do not really understand the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC), how it flows, what are the appropriate water management protocols and what the compulsory maintenance should be. He has also accepted that a lot of work in the conservancy over the years has been based on guess-work.
As a professional engineer I find this most distressing, and above all very serious, since millions have been spent over the years trying to repair the EDWC and its dam and reduce its flood hazard potential without any success. Guyana is a poor country, and any money spent for infrastructure work should be well spent and based on solid engineering parameters. Therefore, I am asking the proverbial question as to whether this proposed Hope Canal project is not also based on guess-work.
I recall earlier that the foreign consultant after signing a contract for the design, had second thoughts, claiming there was not enough information, the cost was exorbitant and he had concerns about rising sea levels and their effects on the outlet sluice’s ability to discharge its drainage requirement on a 24-hour basis.
This is a very expensive project which is not easy to design or to construct, and it should also be considered as increasing the conservancy’s hazard potential, since the conservancy is now being brought out into the populated areas. This close proximity will put more of the population at risk.
Under the circumstances, since both the local and foreign experts are responsible for the design, they should provide a Performance Bond collectively guaranteeing their work for a period of no less than 10 years after completion of construction.
Yours faithfully,
Malcolm Alli
