GUYANA COASTAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROGRAM MISSION REPORT VICTOR M. PONCE, CONSULTANT 15 JUNE 2006 This Mission Report covers the activities of Victor M. Ponce, Consultant, during the period of 5-13 June, 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 4 June 2006, arriving there on 5 June. The period of performance covered the dates 5-13 June inclusive. The consultant returned to California on 14 June. Mission team The consultant was part of a six-member IADB second mission to Guyana to deal with the coastal flood problems. The mission was set to be concurrent with a World Bank mission, to facilitate coordination of staff and consultants of the two banks for satisfaction of project objectives and related document preparation. The banks are responding to a request by the Government of Guyana (GoG) for assistance in connection with the effects of the floods of January-February 2005 and January 2006. The IADB team members are: Luis Miglino, Henry Moreno, Arthur Darling, Yvon Mellinger, Javier Grau, and Victor M. Ponce. The mission chief is Luis Miglino. The World Bank (WB) team members are: Gerald Meier, Henk Ogink, Marc Forni, and Homa Fatouhi. Marc Forni is staff economist, Finance Private Sector and Infrastructure, Latin America and the Caribbean, The World Bank. Homa Fatouhi is Country Representative, Guyana, The World Bank. Meetings The teams met with several representatives of the GoG and the donor agencies. As part of the IADB team, 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 Boeraserie water conservancies and related structures. The mission consisted of field visits and office work. The field visits were to the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and the Boeraserie Water Conservancy (BWC), including dam and relief structures. The objective of the field visits was to gain first-hand knowledge of the physical conditions at the two conservancies. The office work centered on the joint preparation of documents with the representatives of the World Bank. The documents describe the Terms of Reference for the hiring of consultants to perform the feasibility and design studies. Field visits As part of the IADB team, the Consultant made the following field visits:
During the 6 June 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 5-hr boat trip was taken to inspect the condition of the conservancy dam between Flagstaff and Non Pareil. 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. The party reached the Land of Canaan sluice, near the Demerara river, by boat, and returned to Flagstaff in the afternoon. During the 7 June field visit, the mission visited the Kofi, Land of Canaan, and Cunha sluices. The Land of Canaan sluice was releasing water that had accumulated in the reservoir after several days of heavy rains. The Cunha sluice was confirmed to be impaired due to several reasons: (1) existing realignment of the channel due to the presence of the Barama mill, (2) possible backwater created by a bridge constriction across the road from the Barama woodmill, (3) vegetation growth near the outfall into the Demerara river, and (4) several piles driven into the ground are obstructing the free flow at the outfall. The joint WB-IADB teams agreed that of all three existing sluices, the Kofi sluice was the one more likely to be rehabilitated with the least amount of resources. During the 11 June field visit, the IADB team traveled to West Demerara (Region 3), and visited the Boereserie Water Conservancy, accompanied by Mr. Subby Rampertab, General Manager, Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc., and Mr. M. S. Kamaludeen, Secretary and Superintendent of the Boeraserie Water Conservancy. A 7-hr boat trip was taken to inspect the condition of the conservancy dam between Lenora sluice and the Waramia Sluice. The condition of the 8,000-ft weir was inspected, as well as that of the Naamryck and Waramia 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. Following is a summary account of the daily activities. Monday 05 June 2996 Work in the IABD office in Guyana. At 5 p.m., meeting the Mr. Balgobin, Head, project Cycle Division, Ministry of Finance. Tuesday 06 June 2996 Field visit to East Demerara Water Conservancy, hosted by Mr. Bhudu, accompanied by WB team members Jerry Meier, Henk Ogink and Marc Forni. Wednesday 07 June 2996 At 8:30 am, meeting at the Sea Defence Office with Mr. George Howard, Chief, Sea and River Defence. Also present were Newborn Amstardem, European Union project manager, and Sheik Yussuf, Project dDrector, Sea Defences Project Execution Unit. At 10:30 am, meeting at the Land Surveys Commission with Mr. Andrew Bishop, Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner. At 12:00 noon, meeting at the UNDP office with the donors (USAID, EU, UK, UNDP). The meeting was chaired by Ms. Homa Fatouhi, WB representative in Guyana. At 4:00 pm, field visit to East Demerara sluices (Kofi, Land of Canaan, and Cunha). Thursday 08 June 2996 Office work in the Le Meridien Hotel in Guyana, with the WB team. Draft of the Terms of Reference for the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) project. Friday 09 June 2996 Office work in the Le Meridien Hotel in Guyana, with the WB team. Draft of the Terms of Reference for the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) project. At 5:00 pm, the joint WB-AIDB team met at the Ministry of Agriculture, with Mr. Dindyal Permaul, Permanent Secretary, and Mr. Ravi Naraine, Chief, Drainage and Irrigation Authority. The strategy for the awarding of the GEF grant and IADB loans was discussed. The GoG officials agreed to support the grant and loan. Also present were Homa Fatouhi (WB) and Xavier Grau (IABD). Saturday 10 June 2996 Office work in the Le Meridien Hotel in Guyana. Completion of the draft Terms of Reference for the GEF project. Coordination with the WB team. Sunday 11 June 2996 At 9:00 am, field visit to the Boeraserie Water Conservancy, with Mr. Subby Rampertab, General Manager, Guyana Sugar Corporation, and Mr. M. S. Kamaludeen, Secretary and Superintendent of the Boeraserie Water Conservancy. Visit to the Boeraserie dam, the Leonora, Naamryck, and Warimia sluices, and the 8,000-ft weir. Monday 12 June 2996 Work in the IABD office in Guyana on the varios documents required for mission completion. Initial work on the Draft Terms of Reference for the IADB project. At 6:00 pm., meeting with Mr. Subby Rampertab and Mr. M. S. Kamaludeen, at the Le Meridiem Hotel for further cordination of their input to the project documents. Tuesday 13 June 2996 Work in the IABD office in Guyana. Initial work on the Draft Terms of Reference for the IADB project. Work on a preliminary list of activities to be funded on the short-, medium- and long-term. Work on the Aide Memoire for the mission.
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