Issues affecting completion of Hope Canal project being addressed – Minister of State

Georgetown GINA, June 30, 2016

The completion of East Demerara Water Conservancy’s (EDWC) Hope Canal project, at Hope, East Coast Demerara has been delayed due to issues with the quality of work completed by contractors.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, today at a post-cabinet press briefing said the Ministry of Public Infrastructure is currently in consultation with the contractors who worked on the bridge across the canal and those who are working on the completion of the canal itself.

According to Harmon, almost every week the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has been carrying out repairs to the bridge.

“…the bridge which was commissioned, almost every week the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has to do repair works on that bridge because it is moving as the traffic moves, and so there’s always a gap between the bridge and that road and so that is a construction matter,” Harmon explained.

Additionally, the canal itself, the head regulator and the eight-door sluice are yet to be completed, Harmon added.

“There was the hope bypass which meant that water from the conservancy would have been filtered through a head filter operation at the commencement of the canal through the eight gate sluice and then the water goes into the Atlantic. As far as I’m aware the process has not been completed…there is also the issue of sea defense, beyond the sluice there were some issues there as to who is responsible for beyond the sluice going into the Atlantic,” the minister said.

Thes US$15M four-component Hope Canal project was expected to offer a solution to the annual flooding experienced in the Mahaica/Mahaicony Abary areas during the rainy periods.

The work at the canal was carried out by Guyanese engineers, with consultants on the job at the various sites, under the previous Administration.