Dear Editor,
I wish to comment on a letter captioned ‘Why the delay in awarding the contract for the Conservancy Adaptation Project?’ which was written by Mr Charles Sohan and published in the Stabroek News of October 26.
We wish to indicate that the Conservancy Adaptation Project (CAP) contains various components and activities.
If Mr Sohan was following the news, he would have noticed that some of them were completed and commissioned in November 2009. Completed activities included the supply, delivery and installation of a long-reach excavator and the punt and pontoon. The rehabilitated Lama No1 and No2 Sluices were also commissioned on the same day.
The major part of the CAP is the Pre-investment Studies for which proposals were launched internationally in late 2008. Upon completion of the tendering process the lone bidder exceeded the budget by over 100%. The Request for Proposal (RFP) was then reformulated and retendered with a revised scope. The revised scope was facilitated after the MOA was able to execute some of the works under the NDIA. This retendered RFP was successful since it received 5 bids and the evaluation process to award a contract is almost completed.
It is true that the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) embankments were severely tested during the January 2005 floods, but it should be remembered that although there was some overtopping of the embankment, there was no breach.
In addition, the rainfall experienced during this period had a return period of 1 in 1,000 years (meaning that such intensive rainfall is likely to occur once in every thousand years on average). This return period was computed by Dr Robin Wardlaw, a consultant who studied and assessed the pertinent rainfall data. Rainfall having such long return periods would test the embankments and flood discharge systems of most shallow reservoirs.
It is true that the conveyance within the conservancy and downstream of some discharge structures is not perfect, but it is necessary to recognize that the Ministry of Agriculture has a fleet of five hydraulic excavators each loaded on a pontoon which are daily improving the conveyance of channels (water paths) within the conservancy as well as elevating and buttressing the embankments of the EDWC.
We do agree with Mr Sohan that since 2005 the NDIA has made “substantial efforts” to improve the flood relief system of the EDWC, but we disagree with his claim that it is being done in a haphazard way, as the NDIA is methodically and strategically improving the functioning of the conservancy on a daily basis. We are uncertain of the reason for Mr Sohan criticizing the NDIA’s rehabilitation and maintenance programme, but we believe that much is being done within the current financial resources.
Finally, the Hope/Dochfour channel would indirectly relieve flooding in the Mahaicony and Mahaica Rivers as it would minimize or almost negate the need to discharge flood waters to the Mahaica River, and this in turn would affect the Mahaicony River as both rivers share the same watershed or floodplain in their upper reaches. A flyover of the upper reaches of the rivers during periods of intense rainfall would substantiate this point.
Yours faithfully,
Fredrick Flatts,
Senior Civil Engineer
Agricultural Sector
Development Unit
Ministry of Agriculture
