THE US$3.2M Cunha Canal rehabilitation project has been launched and is expected to begin almost immediately.

The project is to be executed by the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and will be administered by the World Bank. It is being funded through the Guyana REDD+Investment Fund that is providing 91.7 per cent or U.S.$3million of the estimated cost with the Government of Guyana contributing U.S.$270,000 or 8.3 per cent.

The project entails the construction of a bridge across the Land of Canaan Public Road; repairing the gate and upgrading the sluice at the outlet of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and the construction of a new sluice into the outlet of the Cunha Canal into the Demerara River.

According to the Project Manager, Mr Dhaneshwar James, construction of the bridge was expected to be completed by May 17, 2019.

This bridge is expected to relieve residents in Badarima Creek and the tributary to the south who are affected by flooding in the area.

Meanwhile, funds have already been allocated to execute rehabilitation works on the bridge across the five-door sluice at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara. This GRIF project is being facilitated by the Project Management Unit, Ministry of the Presidency.

The East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) covers an area of 571 kilometres (km) and stores approximately 250 million cubic metres of water at the maximum safe-operating water level. It is dammed on three sides by a shallow earth embankment 67 km long, parallel to the Demerara River, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mahaica River.

A series of canals controlled by sluices drain water from the EDWC, thereby reducing water levels and preventing overtopping or stressing of the dams, which may increase the risk of structural failure.

The Cunha Canal Rehabilitation Project is one of eight projects funded by the Guyana REDD+Investment Fund to the value of U.S. $190M.