$4.9B to protect sea, river defences
Sea and river defences are essential to the protection of riverain residents and farmlands, to ensure the realisation of the country’s full agriculture potential to achieve food security while protecting against the threats of climate change.
To advance this effort, the PPP/C Administration allocated some $4.9 billion in budget 2023 towards the protection and preservation of the country’s sea and river defences.
Senior Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, on Monday, in the National Assembly noted that, “To ensure that coastal and riverain residents and farmers are protected from the threats of climate change, the government has already undertaken several interventions comprising the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of sea and river defence structures across various areas.”
The allotted monies will see rip-rap sea defence structures being undertaken in Abrams Zuil, Anna Catherina, Zeeburg, Better Hope, Belvedere, Joppa, Eversham and Speightland.
Since returning to office in August 2020, the government has been strategically enhancing the country’s sea and river defences by international standards.
This saw several geotextile tube groynes at Anna Regina, Devonshire Castle, Reliance and Non-Pariel being constructed, along with the planting of mangrove seedlings.
Additionally, in 2022, an amount of $5.5 billion was expended on the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of sea and river defence structures in areas, including La Resource/Maria’s Delight, Leguan, Good Success/New Hope, Bygeval, Bengal, and Glasgow.
Meanwhile, in 2021, the Government invested $4.7 billion for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of rip-rap sea defence in several areas along the coast, including Fairfield, Naamryck, Zeelugt, Zeelandia and Leguan. Further, 100 metres of geotextile tube groyne was constructed at Non Pariel along with the planting of 40,000 mangrove seedlings.
In addition, the country’s sea and river defence was strengthened with some 6,695 metres built and the maintenance of 64,651 metres of structure in 2021.
The government is committed to further improving this effort significantly in 2023 as part of its efforts to achieve the country’s development agenda.