Improvement at East Demerara Water Conservancy, a priority
-more than $357M spent over past year

Georgetown, GINA, October 04, 2007.

Enhancing the effectiveness of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) remains a main objective of the Government of Guyana and while significant investments have already been made, more projects are yet to come on stream with assistance from the international community.
Improvement to the EDWC is part of the administration’s emphasis on efficient drainage and irrigation and helping the country’s to better deal with the effects of climate change. The Conservancy was developed in 1880 to channel several water sources, for a more efficient storage and distribution system from the Lama and Maduni river catchments. Its principal users are the sugar-cane plantations, rice and cash crop farmers of the East Coast and East Bank Demerara and Georgetown.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, during a visit to the EDWC today as part of activities to mark Agriculture Month 2007, outlined some of the major interventions made at the EDWC and their impact on the increasing efficiency in operations.
The Minister was at the time addressing a batch of students from the University of Guyana (UG), the Government Technical Institute (GTI) and President’s College who were a part of the event.
Approximately $140M has been spent to purchase several long-boom excavators while four others are expected to arrive shortly. These are needed to carry out key work at the Conservancy such as desilting and heightening the embankment.
Three sets of pontoon valued $60M have been procured to aid transportation of the machinery around the Conservancy while there are plans to increase the existing fleet by acquiring two more sets. 
Purchase of an airboat, recruitment of 200 employees to conduct a 24-hour monitoring programme and preparation and placement of 60, 000 clay bags along the dam are other activities that have been undertaken at EDWC. 
Additionally, about $22M is being spent to open additional waterways and strengthening the embankment. More resources are being spent to construct an intake structure at Enmore along the Conservancy and scour protection at the Kofi outlet, East Bank Demerara.
These interventions have already resulted in increased storage capacity and strengthening of the dams since there was no reason to release water through the Maduni and Lama outlets during the last rainy season to maintain a safe level. Discharge was done into the Demerara River through outlets at Kofi, Cunia and Land-of-Canaan, East Bank Demerara.
At present, consideration is being given to establishment of an additional outlet that will facilitate discharge into the Atlantic Ocean while a US$5.3M Conservancy Adaptation Project is likely to be finalised shortly. This project, which will be supported by the World Bank through its Special Climate Fund, will include various technical surveys and assessment crucial to development of long-term interventions planned for the EDWC.  
EDWC was formed between the Mahaica and Demerara rivers by damming the flow of the Lama and Maduni rivers approximately 28 and 31 miles respectively up the Mahaica River from the coast.
Meanwhile, focus continues to be placed on development of personnel in the field of hydrology engineering to support investments at the EDWC and other areas of water management. In this regard, attention is being given to the involvement of students in Agriculture Month observances to familiarise themselves with the sector and help them better understand their contribution to further development of Guyana taking into account the current challenges such as climate change.
A programme is being developed to have periodic attachment of students from UG and GTI at the EDWC, the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).
In addition, efforts are being made to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UG through which the Agriculture Ministry can benefit from studies and research information done by students. These could be used to better inform and assist in the development of various initiatives to guide the sector’s growth.
Agriculture Month is being celebrated under the theme ‘The Right to Food – A Reality in Guyana.’  

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