Written by Nadine Sanchara
WORK on the Hope Canal project is proceeding well and all components are expected to be completed by the December 31 deadline.This is according to Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy who in a recent interview told the Guyana Chronicle that the project is on target to be completed by the end of this year.

The deadline for the project was initially set for June of this year, but was subsequently extended to the end of August, and then once again extended to December 31.
The deadline extension to the end of this year was not unexpected, since the contractors had expressed, during a visit by the parliamentary Natural Resources Committee, led by Ramsammy and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Mr. Lionel Wordsworth in July, that they will not be able to complete the work by the August 31 deadline.
The US $15M Hope Canal project, which is expected to be the answer to the flooding experienced in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary areas during rainy periods, has four components: the over 10-kilometre channel from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC), a bridge across the public road, a conservancy head regulator with three gates, and sluice at the canal’s Atlantic end which will have eight gates.
The canal is being excavated by the NDIA, while BK International was granted the contract for the bridge, DIPCON Engineering is constructing the sluice and Courtney Benn Contracting Services holds the contract for the head regulator.
Ramsammy advised that the construction of the canal is almost completed, noting that while the shaping of the dams is still to be done the canal itself is almost completed.
He explained that the canal can be seen constructed on both sides of the bridge, but on the northern side, it has gone as far as it can go and the NDIA is awaiting the completion of the sluice before that can be completed.
In addition, he said that there is also a piece of the canal to be completed on the southern side, which the NDIA will not attempt to complete until the bridge is done.
The minister further noted that on the conservancy end, there is a stretch of canal to be completed but this remains to be done until the completion of the head regulator.
Meanwhile, he advised that the bridge and the head regulator are both on target to be completed by December 13.
Ramsammy had told this publication in a previous interview that the contractors are not subject to any penalties for the deadline extension, but will definitely have to face penalties if the project is not completed by December 31.
Nevertheless, he said that real progress has been made on the project and the Ministry and the NDIA are working with the contractors to ensure that the new deadline is met.
Meanwhile, during the visit to the project site in July, team leader for CEMCO/SRKN Engineering, the supervision consultants of the project, Mr. Raymond Latchmansingh had stressed that the project is at a stage where it can be done by the end of this year.
Latchmansingh also said that the extension of the deadline does not mean that there will be a requirement for addition funds, noting that the contract time is related to quantity of work done.
Ramsammy had at that time expressed satisfaction with the work that has been done on the Hope Canal project thus far.
He related that he has had discussions with the engineers, from the NDIA, as well as from the consultant and the contracting firms, and that he has been assured that the rest of the work will be finished with greater rapidity than the first part of the work. He noted that the most time consuming parts of the project has been completed.
Moreover, members of the parliamentary opposition, who are a part of the Natural Resources Committee, had expressed satisfaction at the progress made on the project and the fact that it is being done by young Guyanese people.