– CEO, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority
THE $56.4M contract for the design of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) additional outlet will deal with issues related to calls for a feasibility study and soil testing, Chief Executive Officer (ag) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Mr. Lionel Wordsworth has said.

He was at the time responding to an article in Monday’s edition of the Guyana Times titled “Dochfour residents uneasy over Hope canal – want feasibility study done”.

The duration of the contract is 16 weeks and caters for hydrological and reservoir studies, hydraulic engineering and flood routing studies, hydrographic engineering and topographic surveys, geotechnical investigations, detailed designs of structural works, recommendations for and design of alternative drainage for areas to be affected and preparation of operation and maintenance procedures.

Wordsworth reiterated that the Hope/Dochfour area was the best option engineering wise for an additional outlet to be constructed from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) to the Atlantic.

Additionally, he said studies by both local and international experts indicate that an additional outlet is required for the conservancy.

In 2004, hydraulic modelling of the EDWC was carried out under the Hydrology and Water Resources study for the Drainage and Irrigation Rehabilitation Project and further updating was carried out in 2005 by the Task Force for Infrastructure Recovery (TFIR), which provided analytical output from which recommendations were derived in improving the flow and discharge system.

Accordingly, the final report of the TFIR, 2005, prepared by experts from Mott MacDonald, local engineers out of Holland, recommended that a new outlet be constructed. Further, an assessment in the Guyana Floods Geotechnical and Hydraulics Assessment of the EDWC in February suggested the same.

Earlier in January, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud had told residents that building the additional outlet through Hope/Dochfour was based on sound engineering advice. In the National Assembly, he had also highlighted the necessity of building this canal since it will aid in bringing relief to residents living in the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary areas.

Wordsworth had explained to residents that after the 2005 floods, two options were contemplated including an outlet at Nabaclis and another at Shanks but these were not feasible since there would have been major disruption to the drainage and irrigation systems there. As such, he stated that Hope/Dochfour was a better option and was identified for an independent channel which would enable discharge from the EDWC.

He added that it would be more costly for the canal to be constructed anywhere else.

The process of relocation of affected residents had already begun with an assessment being carried out by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) to assess the areas that would be taken through acquisition for public purposes and giving a fair market price to affected individuals. Further, residents were invited to about four meetings over the past two months to discuss the development of the Hope Canal.