$143M modern waterfront project at Supenaam open to public

─management committee in place

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Following Bartica, Supenaam has recently become the second community to have a modern waterfront development project built under the Coalition Government.

This was disclosed by Minister of Public Infrastructure, Hon. David Patterson on the National Communications Network (NCN) programme CONTEXT.

To ensure effective oversight for activities at the Supenaam waterfront, Minister Patterson noted, “we have established a management committee that comprises of persons within the NDC, the RDC and the Ministries of Public Infrastructure and Communities.”

Paving works on the road leading to the project were recently executed. This project is positioned to be a significant asset to Region 2 and will benefit boat operators, vendors and commuters.

District Engineer within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Saheed Mohammed is tasked with overseeing the project. In an interview with the DPI last April, the engineer provided critical updates on the works done, particularly regarding the sea defence component.

“The defence work was mostly a steel sheet-pile revetment,” he explained. “These sheet-piles were anchored in place by the use of anchor-piles. Due to the poor structural integrity that existed before the project, sea defence works were even more critical to the success of the project. Initially, there was a timber revetment in place that had numerous structural issues, even collapsing on many occasions.”

Mohammed noted the Ministry of Public Infrastructure had conducted several emergencies works on the timber revetment, often using sandbags to prevent erosion of the embankment.

Residents of Supenaam remain optimistic about the opportunities the project provides.

Speedboat Captain, Omesh Persaud said “the project is going to enhance the end here [Supenaam Stelling] … because over the years we were looking like a ghost town. This is very good for the community, the travellers… everybody is going to benefit from this.”

Additionally, vendor and speedboat operator Morris Bovell said, “the business is picking up, people coming around. They like the place. I expect we will get plenty of visitors coming, people coming from all over to see Supenaam.”

The project features an improved boat landing with rails, benches along the waterfront, safety rails, lighting and vending booths. The Ministry of Communities under the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has injected funds into the project as well.