GUYANA COASTAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROGRAM MISSION REPORT VICTOR M. PONCE, CONSULTANT 20 MARCH 2006 This Mission Report covers the activities of Victor M. Ponce, Consultant, during the period 13-17 March 2006 while on mission in Guyana. It is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Terms of Reference of his consultancy. Period of performance. The consultant traveled from San Diego, California, to Georgetown, Guyana, on 11 March 2006, arriving there on 12 March. The period of performance covered the dates 13-17 March inclusive. The consultant returned to California on 18 March. Mission team. The consultant was part of a six-member IADB mission to Guyana to respond to a request by the Government of Guyana (GoG) for assistance in connection with the effects of the recent floods of January-February 2005 and January 2006. The team members are: Luis Miglino, Henry Moreno, Christiaan Gischler, Ricardo Vargas, Javier Grau, and Victor M. Ponce. The mission chief is Luis Miglino. Meetings. The consultant met with several representatives of the GoG and the donor agencies, The World Bank (TWB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). As part of the team, or alone, the Consultant met with the following persons:
Discussion centered on the subject of the recent 2005 and 2006 floods, and how to safeguard the integrity of the conservancy structures under extreme levels of flood stress. This includes the East Demerara and Boireserie water conservancies and related structures. The representatives of the World Bank stated that they were working on the initial stages of a project that would focus on the adaptation of the infrastructure of drainage and irrigation to climate change, a strategy that was sure to gain support of all concerned parties. The mission team reiterated its objective to provide the necessary institutional leadership to develop a comprehensive strategy for flood protection of the Guyana Coastal Zone. Field visits. The Consultant undertook four field visits to gather first-hand information and augment knowledge regarding the project requirements. As part of the team, or alone, the Consultant made the following field visits:
During the 13 March field visit, the mission team was accompanied by a junior engineer from the MoA. The condition of the sea wall in Region 4 was inspected between Georgetown and Greenfield, along the coast. The following sluices/pump stations were inspected: BV/Triump, Buxton, Belfield, Victoria, Hope, and Beehive. During the 14 March field visit, the mission team visited with Mr. C. Bhudu, in charge of monitoring the security of the East Demerara Water Conservancy dam. Mr. Bhudu is stationed at Flagstaff, the easternmost point of the Conservancy. A 1.5-hr boat trip was taken to inspect the condition of the conservancy dam between Flagstaff and Enmore. The poor condition of the dam crest within this stretch was documented. The dam crest should be at 59 ft G.D., but in some places it is at 57.5 ft G.D. In the afternoon, the mission visited the Demerara sluices, including Kofi, Land of Canaan (Five Gates), Cunha, and Diamond. The Kofi and Cunha sluices were found to be impaired due to lack of maintenance. The Cunha sluice has also suffered from a realignment of its channel to accomodate other land uses, which is impairing its function. The Diamond sluice was confirmed to be out of operation. During the 15 March field visit, the mission team visited several locations in the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Ibari watershed (Region 5). Heavy silt loads were observed near the intersection of the Mahaica river with the main highway. The mission team discussed the recent flood experience with one farmer in the location of Easu and Jacobs, along the banks of the Mahaicony river. The mission also visited the Trafalgar sluice, near Onverwagt, and confirmed its general state of disrepair due to oxidation. During the 17 March field visit, the Consultant traveled to West Demerara (Region 3), and visited the Boereserie Water Conservancy, accompanied by Mr. M. S. Kamaludeen, Secretary and Superintendent of the Boereserie Water Conservancy, and Mr. Sulaman Azzad, engineer with Region 3, MoA. A 3.5-hr boat trip was taken to inspect the condition of the conservancy dam between Sisters Canal and the Waramia Sluice. The condition of the 8,000-ft weir was inspected, as well as that of the Naamryck and Waramia (Five Gates) sluices. The 8000-ft weir was found to be structurally sound, but with considerable vegetation growth immediately upstream, which would hinder its proper functioning in the event of a major flood. At 5:00 pm, the Consultant met in Georgetown with Mr. Bhudu of the East Demerara Water Conservancy to confirm the details of the observations made during the visit of 14 March. The Appendix contains the Consultant's field notes and preliminary observations. Tentative plans were made to schedule the Second Mission for the week of 22-26 May 2006, pending further coordination with donors and other parties.
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