THE Governments of Guyana and Japan have signed a US$4M grant aid agreement for the second component of the rehabilitation of the East Demerara Water Conservancy aimed at strengthening Guyana’s response to climate change.

Signing on behalf of the Government of Guyana was Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and on behalf of the Japanese Government, Japanese Ambassador to Guyana, Tatsuaki Iwata. The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

The grant will be used for civil works and supervision. In March this year, there was a similar signing for US$4M for component one, which encompassed the procurement of eight long reach excavators and two pontoons to work on the conservancy.

The Foreign Minister said that because of the devastation in Japan in March, the Government of Guyana wanted to postpone the signing of the grant agreement for the first component of the rehabilitation. She said that the Ambassador pressed ahead, considering the urgency of the project.

Rodrigues-Birkett expressed condolence and solidarity with the people of Japan for the disaster, and said that the signing of the agreement is testimony to the ever-strengthening relationship between the two countries.

“Both of our nations share a similar view on climate change. We (Guyana) recognize the very tangible assistance that Japan is providing to countries like Guyana,” the Foreign Minister stated.

Speaking after Minister Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud said, “We in Guyana value the support and cooperation (of the Government of Japan).”

He is happy that Japan is supporting Guyana’s efforts at being more disaster ready. He said that in excess of 300,000 people are vulnerable because of the conservancy and the risk it poses if not properly strengthened.

“Managing the facility has always been a priority of the Government of Guyana. This signing will see us moving further along into having the EDWC better managed and making it safer,” said Persaud. “The interventions will go a long way into ensuring that we have that comfort zone,” he said.

The minister said that the project will complement the Conservancy Adaptation Project funded by the Global Environmental Facility of the World Bank and the Government-funded Hope/Dochfour Northern Relief channel.

He said that the Hope project is about 14 percent complete, while the World Bank project is about 24 percent along.

Naotaka Yamaguchi, Deputy Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said that this second component of the project is important as it would see the rehabilitation of four intake valves and three sluice gates. He said that, as a result of the project, approximately 3,000 persons along the East Coast will be protected from floods. Because of this, he said the project will have a role to play in disaster risk reduction.

“I would like to request the Government of Guyana to make the necessary undertaking for the proper maintenance of the system. I hope that the project will solidify the mutual cooperation between Guyana and Japan,” Yamaguchi said.

Ambassador Iwata said that it was indeed an honour for him to be taking part in the signing ceremony, representing the Government of Japan.

“This is a huge project in terms of the area to be covered (and the impact it will have on lives),” he said.

The Japanese Ambassador, who observed that teams of experts from Japan came to Guyana five times in four years to make assessments of the situation at the conservancy, said he was pleased that the project has reached this stage. He noted that it was President Bharrat Jagdeo who made the request to the Government of Japan in 2007.

He said that the first component of the project involves digging mud from the bed of the conservancy and using that mud to shore up the dams. He said that by May, 2012, the equipment funded under the first component of the project would have been procured. Component two of the project will see the rehabilitation of structures at Ann’s Grove, Hope, and Annandale, and will see the rehabilitation of the Maduni and Sarah Johanna sluice gates.

The Ambassador said that Guyana undoubtedly has a role to play in increasing food production in response to the global growth in food demand. He said that through the project, Guyana could fulfill its potential by becoming the food basket of the Caribbean.

Referring to both the floods in Guyana of 2005, and the devastating tsunami and earthquake in Japan earlier this year, the Ambassador said, “We have no choice but to recognize the power of nature. We could only prepare for emergency and this facility can act as a counter measure.”