– HPS explains
THIS country’s ability to drain flood water has, over the years of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, been steadily increasing, as a result of the construction and desilting of more drainage canals and outfalls and procurement and installation of additional pumps. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon pointed that out, on Thursday, at his post-Cabinet media briefing at Office of the President, drawing attention to the interventions being made to deal with flooding, following the above average rainfall recorded during the period January 29 to 30.
He said the Government has worked to ensure that mechanical drainage is fully facilitated at the onset of the short and long rainy seasons and that gravity drainage is enhanced to cope with inter-locking drains in communities and outfalls, through which flood waters are discharged.
But, if and when the volume of rainfall exceeds the capacity of mechanical and gravity drainage, then the result will be flooding, Luncheon explained.
“The limit today is not the same that existed a year ago…if this volume of rain had fallen in 1992 or 2005, the consequences were likely to have been dire, because the limit then was less than it is today,” the HPS posited.
In the wake of the recent floods caused by heavy rains, Cabinet members joined with regional officials in visiting many flooded areas to assist in assessments and utilising the processes established by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Luncheon disclosed.
Alluding to efforts being made to mitigate the effects of the consistent heavy rains, he said, due to the threats against the integrity of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) dam as a result of the rising level that exceeded the safety margin, the releasing of water into the Mahaica River was inevitable.
The HPS said, when the current La Nina phenomenon is over (by the end of March), a more holistic assessment will be conducted to determine the type of actions that best suit the situation.
The Hope Canal, also on East Coast Demerara, is one of the projects being undertaken by Central Government to enhance the removal of flood water, as inordinate burden has, historically, been placed on the communities to the East of the EDWC during heavy rainfall, Luncheon said.
He emphasised that Government’s decision to have an additional outlet to get rid of accumulated water into the Atlantic Ocean, rather than into the Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks, was a very incisive one.
Explaining the impact of that, Luncheon said: “The 2011-2012 rainy season may be the last that causes threats to the communities, once the operation and construction of the Hope Canal is completed.”
The $3.6 billion Hope/Dochfour Canal is to combat the drainage issues facing East Demerara and West Berbice areas, which were found to be very vulnerable to flooding in January 2005.
Last year, Government spent some $40M to compensate families in Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) who were affected by severe flooding.