Below are excerpts of the comprehensive report issues by a Dutch team looking into causes and solutions to the Guyana flooding situation. The full report (Jan 2016) is tagged at the end for those not suffering from ADHD. I highlighted the last piece which indicates a positive attitude from the people on the ground.
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DRR-Team Mission Report - Guyana
Excerpts:
Considering the economic situation of Guyana and the relatively mild character of the flooding events under normal conditions, it is not recommended to consider new large scale, expensive infrastructure. Instead, it is advised to take a large number of small steps over a period of several years that will increase the knowledge and the collective ownership of the drainage infrastructure among local experts, Guyanese governments, and the people of Guyana. By increasing trust, cooperation and local expertise Guyana can become a South-American example of effective and efficient water management...................
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Although the July-event was extreme, it was not an unusual situation for the low-lying areas of Guyana with typical topographic heights around Mean Sea Level (MSL). Floodings occurred many times in the past, as described in an article from Kandasammy (2006). For example, devastating floods occurred in 1934 when excessive rainfall flooded all low-lying coastal areas........................
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The city of Georgetown is drained by an interconnected network of open channels which discharge rainfall water into the ocean by a system of pumps or gravity-operated sluices (kokers). This system was originally developed to irrigate and drain the sugar plantations which occupied the land on which Georgetown now stands. Urbanization over the years had a large impact on the hydraulic functioning of the system as some channels were blocked and previously pervious surfaces were paved resulting in increased rates of runoff (less retention capacity)..........................
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Elements of the drainage system The current drainage system of Georgetown is based on the historic irrigation, transportation and drainage system, which was developed centuries ago for the sugar plantations..................................
Man-made and natural changes that influence conveyance capacity (m3/s)
In the last decades the basic drainage system has been modified as a result of the continuous urbanisation of Georgetown. Adjustments such as: - Filling in of drainage channels (artificial);
- Illegal construction;
- Concrete lining of drainage channels, leading to much less seepage of water into the soil (Figure 2.6);
- Tunnelling of drainage channels (especially along the Demerara River, so near the outfall structures as a result of industrial development along the riverside – Figures 2.7 and 2.8);
- Increased bridging of channels due to increased traffic, often reducing the flow with a culvert;
- Additional interconnection culverts between drainage areas; and
- Choking of water exits (mooring of ships in the outfall channel, sediment deposits)..............
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The original agricultural water management system is greatly influenced by residential development. Some former irrigation channels have been filled and changed into roads. Drainage channels get squeezed by housing that take more and more space; channels are narrowed, blocked or even filled (Figure 2.26 below). The team understands that the consequences of any of the developments on the water drainage systems have not been taken into account.........................
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In the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary conservancy area (Region 5) an infrastructure was created in the Eighties that could irrigate all rice fields with gravity flow. It is announced when the rainy season starts. If the announcement is there, farmers should secure their land, and if they don’t it gets flooded. If a farmer has finished his dry land preparation he will take in water to start wetland preparation. But if a neighbouring farmer is later and the early farmer opens the gate, then the land of the late farmer land is flooded too. Out of anger the late farmer may break the mechanism and gets out the water because he still needs to do the dry phase preparations. Then the wetland farmer is angry and he blocks it again. In this way, the farmers have destroyed most of the mechanisms and structures; of the 88 structures in that area, only 9 still have mechanisms to close and open the gates.
With so many sluices destructed, a lot of water from the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary conservancy is lost because the water is flowing all the time. This compromises the resilience of the water conservancy seriously...............................
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There is no long term inspection and maintenance plan for existing drainage infrastructure and no overall future plan for the upgrading or reconstruction of watersheds. Instead there is a ‘wish list’ of smaller scale separate technical plans all over the country that NDIA has to approve and provide financial support for...................................
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Fortunately, no one complains that it is not in their job description to solve other organization’s problems. This cooperative attitude is something that should be preserved. However, a continuous crisis mode is exhausting and likely inefficient. A learning process should take place to reduce the number of crises over time....................................
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http://www.drrteam-dsswater.nl...n-_-rev2_1_final.pdf