The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will be launching bids for suitable companies to undertake various geotechnical works along vulnerable sections of the Boerasirie Water Conservancy embankment to improve on its maintenance programme as the agency successfully completes work at the site that was damaged.
This is according to a press statement from the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday.
“Recently, [the NDIA] expended over $11M to complete remedial works on a section of the Boerasirie Conservancy dam which had suffered a slip failure. These works included the construction of revetment which was used to retain and strengthen the embankment of the conservancy,” the statement said.
The statement said reports had emanated from the monitoring staff at the Conservancy that a section of the embankment suffered a slip in the backward slope and further developed to the centre line of the dam.
“It is believed that such slip is likely to develop during the rainy season when the water pressure at the slip surface increases, reducing the effective normal stress and thus diminishing the restraining friction along the slip line,” the statement said.
It added that the increase of heavy vehicular traffic along the embankment also compounded the situation. “The NDIA along with the Boerasirie Board of Commissioners, is urging persons who use 10-15 tonne trucks to traverse the dam to desist from doing so since this activity is causing deterioration to the conservancy dam,” the statement said.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and technical personnel from the NDIA had visited the area on December 11, 2010, to make assessments and determine necessary interventions. Minister Persaud, during his visit, urged that remedial works be conducted in a timely manner to ensure that the livelihood of farmers and residents in the area were protected.