Consultation continues on Georgetown rescue plan to rebuild city drainage

As consultations continue on the Georgetown drainage development plan, talks shifted to Constituency 3 with a meeting at the Bel Air Primary School on Tuesday afternoon.

Lionel Wordsworth, Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), delivered a detailed presentation of the works to be undertaken and the areas of focus.

Wordsworth noted that Georgetown has a footprint of 15 square miles with several primary drainage canals serving the city. He added that notable agencies had conducted several studies, including some that the World Bank had funded.

In addition to these studies, a walk-through survey was conducted at all primary, secondary and tertiary drains, which identified bottleneck areas that impede and affect the passage of water.

The chairman explained that Georgetown often floods due to its low-lying coastal location, decrepit infrastructure, heavier rainfall from climate change, and issues with its drainage system.

“The city is in a low-lying location, …it is below sea level, and we rely on gravity drainage largely and during the low tide period,” Wordsworth stated.

“The system in place was built ten decades ago to service the city, so while that would have been occupied with roads and buildings which create an impermeable surface now it is almost completely occupied,” Wordsworth said.

This means that the system, which served the city many years ago, is no longer adequate because of three factors.

First, there is a high rate of surface runoff due to inclement weather patterns. Second, there is a reduced window of opportunity during which sluices can be kept open due to the rising sea level.

Third, to construct canals and drains, there ought to be an analysis of the rainfall data that falls in the catchment area. He reiterated that, looking back at data from 100 years ago, there was less rainfall when compared to now.

A multi-agency task force established by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is consulting with stakeholders and residents of the constituencies that fall within the Georgetown catchment area, in an effort to prepare a detailed report for the works ahead.

Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Ministry of Public Works, Guyana Lands and Survey Commission, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority are some of the agencies that comprise the task force.

Minister of Housing Collin Croal highlighted that the beautification and transformation are being done in a phased process. Some of the parameters include parapet enhancements, removal of derelict vehicles from the roadways, management of structured parking around the city, and, complementing all of these, improved drainage.

“We can have the best infrastructure work, we can prepare Georgetown for a nice Christmas, if we do not deal with the drainage all of that means little to having a comfortable and flood-free life,” the minister said. “Basically, with the first phase, we will be dealing with the drainage.”

Minister Croal stated that several studies on drainage systems were completed over the years. He mentioned that one report was prepared by the Japanese International Construction Agency (JICA) at the municipal level. He also noted that quick assessments of the tertiary drains in Georgetown were conducted.

The minister emphasised that government will be placing heavy focus on laws and enforcement on the subject of littering and the issue of waste treatment.

Demetri Ali, a resident, pointed out that heavy trucks driving on the roads near the Bank of Guyana cause damage to the roads and pipelines. He recommended creating a separate access for these trucks to use.

Emmanuel Barker, a resident, mentioned that during construction, workers would throw cement and other waste into the drains, blocking the flow of water.