RESIDENTS of Makeshift and Aurora, in the extreme south of the Essequibo Coast, are very thankful to the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government for constructing new rip rap design sea defence structures in their villages to protect residential and farming areas from flooding during high tides. Vice-Chairman of Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Mr. Vishnu Sarmaroo and a high-level delegation, last Wednesday, visited the sites where construction work is in progress and were updated on the projects by engineer in the Sea Defence Department, Mr. Saeed Mohamed.
According to the engineer, the job at Makeshift is being done by B.K. International and the wall, to be 110 metres long, is being built with 6,000 tonnes of large stones and 5,000 tonnes of smaller stones.
He also said the earthern sea dam embankment is made up of several tonnes of earth.
At Aurora, contractor Doodnauth Samaroo is building 280 metres and Vice-Chairman Vishnu Samaroo said that government is spending millions on the sea defence there, so farmers and other residents can be protected from flooding due to the eroded and collapsed structure that was built many years ago.
The Vice-Chairman said, every year, government is spending large sums to erect new sea defences in vulnerable places across the Essequibo Coast.
He said, at Suddie, new structures were erected earlier this year while, at Lima, Devonshire Castle and Eliza, millions more were expended on new rip rap sea defences and earthen embankments.