RDC resorts to empoldering to keep water off ECD lands

The empoldering of sections of land close to breached sea defences along several East Coast Demerara (ECD) villages has been effective in preventing flooding thus far amid the current spring tides.
It was last month that the Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill announced that his Ministry was not satisfied with the work being carried out by two contractors – BK International and A&S General Contractors Inc.
In September 2019, a section of the sea defence at Dantzig, ECD, was washed away as spring waters overtopped the sea defence thus resulting in major damage.
Contracts were awarded to fix the damaged structure but no attention was paid to vulnerable sections of the sea defence, resulting in more breaches afterwards.
Residents had complained of the effects of the constant flooding, with rice and cash crop farmers being affected the most.
A farmer, Neil Machado, stated that the floods in 2019 did not only destroy acres of rice for him but left the land with salt water.
“I lost 13 acres of rice at Danzig and that was my means of a livelihood. Since then I got no assistance from the Government. The only thing I have left is my cattle; cows and horses.”
Machado said he was forced to sell his sheep and goat as water has been on the land for more than one year.
“I don’t know what lies in the future for me with my livestock. I have to put them on people land and they don’t want that, so it is a struggle every day for them. It is not easy living in this situation.”
Meanwhile, three weeks ago, the Public Works Ministry awarded a contract to the tune of $168 million to local contractor M&B Construction, for the repair of 100 metres of the compromised sea defence at Dantzig.
Several other contracts have been awarded for revetment work and empoldering to be done in the affected area.
The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has also been actively involved in this initiative which would hold off the water that comes through the fragile sea defence.
Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal on Sunday told Guyana Times that there was no major flooding and excavators were on-site building temporary defence around the homestead.