Faulty koker door causes flash floods to hit parts of city

…NDIA asked to scrap contract, award emergency works to experienced contractor

Sections of Georgetown experienced flash flooding after a faulty door installed at the Princes Street Koker in Georgetown caused water from the Demerara River to flow inland Thursday afternoon.

The floods affected Charlestown, Werk-en-Rust, and other areas. The water started rising around mid- afternoon and within hours had reached into some residential yards, while nearby trenches were almost overflowing.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, who had visited the Princes Street Koker to ascertain the reason behind the rising water levels in the city, explained to Guyana Times that the wooden sluice door at the koker was being replaced with a metal door that had an incorrect measurement. This resulted in the water from the river flowing inland through the gap.
“Apparently, they were [installing] a new metal door, which would last longer than the traditional ones, but there was a slight adjustment which was not noticed to be made so that the new door could fit and the [high] tide caught them. So, they have to knock out about eight inches so the door would drop down to the bottom. There is an eight-inch gap between the new door and the base of the sluice… [so it] hasn’t gone down completely,” Minister Benn related.
As an immediate fix, this publication was told, that at low tide later Thursday afternoon, the new steel door would be removed and the original wooden door would be re-installed to stop the intrusion of the river water inland.
The replacement of the sluice door was a project being undertaken by the National Drainage and Irrigation Department (NDIA) which, through the Agriculture Ministry, is lending assistance to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to enhance flood prevention in Georgetown.
In addition to replacing wooden sluice doors, the NDIA is also helping the City Council with maintenance works, servicing and the provision of fuel for the pumps.
A subsequent statement from the Agriculture Ministry on Thursday revealed that the new sluice door was being installed by a contractor – Square Commodities, which had won the $11.6 million contract for the fabrication and installation of a stainless-steel door at the Princes Street Koker.
The contract, which was signed with the NDIA last August, was tendered and awarded to the company following a public bidding process in keeping with legal stipulations set out by the Government of Guyana through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

Disappointment
Nevertheless, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who was also on the ground to inspect the issues at the koker, expressed his disappointment with the work of the contractor. He contended that situations like these should never occur.

“We went through a very transparent process with these contracts. The company submitted bids and was awarded the contract based on their submission. Today, when we are having very good weather, people are being affected [by floods] because of faulty work by the contractor. The Government is now put in a position to create a solution, because we have been entrusted with taking care of the welfare of all citizens of the country.
“This is the first time we’ve worked with this company and as Minister, I am very dissatisfied. When we took office, we made it clear that we want everyone to be given a fair chance to work with the Government and receive contracts, but if you are not experienced or have experienced people working with you, you may find yourself in a similar situation and we do not take these situations lightly,” Mustapha stressed.

Terminate contract
The Agriculture Minister went on to say that the NDIA has since been advised to terminate the contract with this company and award an emergency contract to another firm with more experience.
NDIA’s Chief Executive Officer (ag) Dave Hicks and Senior Engineer Timothy Innis were on the ground monitoring the situation.
While the affected areas were drained during the low tide on Thursday evening, engineers from the NDIA will continue to monitor the koker overnight to ensure that the water from the Demerara River does not further intrude inland.
In the meantime, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Thursday afternoon pleaded with residents and businesses around the Werk-en-Rust and surrounding areas to take the necessary precautions to safeguard their belongings from being damaged should the water continue rising.
He also reassured residents that a collaborative effort would see work being done to resolve the issue.
“In some instances where I have just inspected, the water has already started to come into some people’s yards, and even those who are living on the bottom flats could be affected… All the engineers from the Drainage and Irrigation Authority, with support from the Ministry are here. A solution will be found as soon as the tide changes,” the Public Works Minister had indicated to affected residents.