$160M contract signed to bolster Mahaicony sea defences

─ 329 metres of riprap structure to be constructed

─ works will span 6 months

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, June 13, 2019

Government has awarded a contract valued $160M to enhance the structural integrity of sea defences in the village of Prospect, Mahaicony. This project will facilitate the construction 329 metres of riprap sea defences along the shoreline. It is also a major project under the Infrastructure Ministry’s work programme for 2019 in which almost $2Billion has been allotted for sea defences.

Construction is estimated to be completed in six months from its commencement. Upon completion, the riprap sea defence is expected to significantly reduce the threats of flooding in Prospect and surrounding villages.

During spring tide, which occur after a new moon or the alignment of the full moon with the earth and sun, wave heights are higher than usual. This can cause flooding in areas with weak or insufficient sea defences. Therefore, the critical riprap sea defence project is destined to be a significant asset to the Prospect community.

Resilience to climate change has been a major thrust of the government since 2015. From then to now, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has spearheaded several projects aimed at strengthening sea defence throughout the nation.

In 2016, Guyana benefitted from nearly $7Billion allotted under the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Sea and River Defense Project. That transformational project has led to the reconstruction and improvement of eight sites in Regions 2, 3, 4 and 6.

The $160M sea defence project falls in line with the government’s commitment to working towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #13, which urges countries to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. One of the targets of SDG 13 is to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

Image: Karime Peters