Works Services Group exceeds 2014 targeted sea and river defence works

THE Public Works Ministry exceeded its target for sea and river defence works last year.Coordinator of the Works Services Group of that ministry, Mr. Geoffrey Vaughn, recently reported that the targets had been exceeded in relation to the three critical areas of work: construction of new sea defences; rehabilitation of existing structures; and maintenance.
He said: “In terms of new constructions, we had programmed to compete 3.06 kilometres (km) and we completed 3.195km. In terms of rehabilitation, we planned to complete 2.8km, and we completed 10.29 kilometres; and in terms of maintenance, we planned to maintain 20.7km and instead we completed 45.4km.”

The geographical area protected was the entire Coastal Plain, which is divided into sea defence districts #1 to 8, stretching from the Essequibo to the Corentyne. Among works successfully done were: construction of Rip-Rap river defences at Cane Garden, Leguan, in Region Three; at Glasgow/Heathburn in East Bank Berbice, Region Six; and at Mosquito Hall in Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, Region Four. Sums expended were $44M, $116M and $275M respectively.

Also done were slope protection works at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast in Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam), for the sum of $108M; construction of Rip-Rap sea defences at Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo, Region 3 at a sum of $42M; completion of emergency works at Rotterdam, West Coast Demerara, Region 3 at a sum of $61M; and rehabilitation of the Groyne in Kingston, Georgetown Region Four at a sum of $12M.

Vaughn also reported on the successful installation of geotextile tubes along the Georgetown Sea Defences in Region Four.

Vaughn disclosed that the Works Services Department completed 100% expenditure on both its capital and maintenance programmes for sea and river defence works, budgeted at $1.3B and $202M respectively.

He identified ready availability of rock materials for sea defence construction; the limited number of experienced contractors with the capacity to implement major contracts, and limited technical staff and resources within the Sea Defence districts as some of the major constraints that the Group had to grapple with in 2014.
Notwithstanding these, he said, the WSG is preparing to improve on its mandate for protecting the low-lying coast and riverine areas from high tides and coastal erosion this year.

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