Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter by Mayor Green in SN (April 24) captioned ‘Keeping the city drained during heavy rainfall is a complex and costly exercise.’
He mentioned that the canal linking the Liliendaal Pump Station was carried out under his ministerial stewardship when the PNC was in power in 1976. As far as I know Mr Elmo Meyers Town Clerk of the M&CC at the time conceived this project known as the Greater Georgetown Project, which included the canal and pump station, and he received help from an Israeli engineering consultant to carry out the engineering design work.
After carrying out land and aerial surveys the consultant left the country after the Guyana Government voted with the Arabs against the Israeli Government.
Mr Meyers then came to the Hydraulics Division seeking help for the project. The Hydraulics Division was under the Ministry of Agriculture at that time. Myself and another engineer, Mike Ragwen, became involved with the design and construction of the project using some of the surveys carried out by the Israelis. The project was completed and handed over to the M&CC in 1977.
I do not know how the canal became known as the Downer Canal. There was a dragline operator who worked on the project by the name of Downer. The government provided the pumps free of charge, including expertise and equipment, whilst the M&CC provided funds for materials and to pay the government workers.
I agree with Mayor Green that you cannot refurbish the pumps without refurbishing the entire length of the canal, which goes back as far as Roxanne Burnham Gardens and includes 2 inverted concrete siphons under the canals, the still basin as well as the culvert across the roadway. This will be a costly exercise and should be carried out according to the lines and levels of the original drawings provided to the M&CC after completion of the project. If this is not adhered to the refurbished pumps could end up burning their motors.
I recall at that time we proposed to the M&CC that they construct a new façade drain parallel to the Demerara River Dam, installing drainage pumps which were available free of charge, including refurbishing the main drains including the Cummings Canal to provide extra storage capacity for Georgetown drainage during heavy rainfall. This proposal unfortunately was not accepted due to shortage of funds.
I understand the government intends also to install new pumps for the Kitty Pump Station and intends to increase the drainage areas. This pump station was designed to drain the GDF and David Street only, and any increase in the drainage areas should commensurate with redesigning and widening the SSP Basin, including the cleaning of the inside of the basin and pipes leading to the basin. The roof of the pump station was designed to be removable for maintenance work.
Georgetown has grown considerably over the last 30 years or so, and I agree a new drainage design is warranted under the circumstances. The inner core of Georgetown has a lot of small concrete drains draining into other small drains via small pipes under the roadways and under-ground culverts as well that require regular cleaning. Illegal dumping of garbage, plastic and paper bags are also not helping the situation. Attention should also be paid to what effect the Harbour Bridge may have had on the siltation of the outfall sluices over the years, as well as desilting the mouth of the Demerara River to ensure effective drainage.
This would be a costly exercise for the M&CC to bear and may require monetary assistance from the government.
Yours faithfully,
Malcolm Alli
