Dutch team modernising City drainage
Government ministers and other officials share a photo opportunity with the Dutch team that is here to model the City’s drainage system (Delano Williams photo)
Government ministers and other officials share a photo opportunity with the Dutch team that is here to model the City’s drainage system (Delano Williams photo)

By Navendra Seoraj

A DUTCH team has begun working on a computer (hydraulic) model for drainage in parts of Georgetown, to help predict the vulnerability of certain areas during rainfall.The seven-member Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) team of masters’ students from Delph University of Technology in the Netherlands will be working
collaboratively with the Ministries of Agriculture and Public Infrastructure, the University of Guyana (UG), the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the National Task Force (NTF) to achieve their goal.

This was announced during a press conference on Monday at the Ministry of Agriculture, where Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson indicated that the team was here last year to conduct a survey of the City’s drainage system, and they made a number of recommendations to the Government.

“Most of what was highlighted in the recommendations shows that modernisation is pivotal to the improvement of the City’s drainage system,” said Minister Patterson.

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder during his remarks noted that the team has the important task of assisting with the development of a new pilot system and design model to improve the drainage and irrigation system in Georgetown.

The team will be working alongside local engineers to measure parts of the drainage system while putting a computer (hydraulic) model together from which they will be able to say which areas in Georgetown are vulnerable for flooding at any time during rainfall.

To begin the test and complete the hydraulic model, the local engineers headed by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Dutch team will be working every day in the Liliendaal and South Ruimveldt catchment area, given that those are two of the most flooded areas despite the pump systems there, said Minister Holder.

“When the model is prepared, a team from the University of Guyana will add to it and test it continually. The team will also use the information from the model to train young engineers so what we will have the transfer of information and technology so we can develop further systems throughout Guyana on our own,” Holder said.

Head of the DRR team, Joost Remmers said that from the outset of their interactions in Guyana and their understanding of the Georgetown Water and Sewerage Master Plan of 1994, Guyana is determined to lower the number of flood events in Georgetown from three to four times a year to once every two to five years.

COMMUNICATION PLAN
The Dutch team’s 2016 report on drainage in Guyana stated that a communication plan needs to be developed to increase the understanding of Guyanese about what it means to live in a flood-prone country.

The report said: “Flooding will remain an issue in Guyana and in Georgetown. Because of this, the DRR team posited that the communication plan needs to explain the principles of living with water and this can be best served through a pilot project.

Further, the report noted that frequently there is a loss of awareness by Guyanese as it relates to flood threats. It also mentioned that this loss of awareness influences behaviour regarding the existing water management infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the NTF, Joe Singh highlighted that water management is a critical area of focus since most of the agriculture is practiced in the low lying areas of Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.

CLIMATE CHANGE
“We need to be able to adapt to climate change where our water resources and management is concerned. Even in the height of the El Nino period we are still faced with some occurrences of heavy rainfall that can cause flash floods in many high risk areas,” Singh said.

He noted also that the effects of proper drainage have positive impacts from an agricultural perspective, such as salinity control, flooding, crop yields, soil erosion and water supply.

While the natural drainage systems are still in use, these channels are not sufficient. He said that improved drainage methods and systems are necessary, along with the work of the NTF for the socio-economic growth and well-being of the people of Georgetown and the country as a whole.

 

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