Ministry rejects claim of failed...

Additionally, according to the release, a programme of interventions has been developed for the phased execution of permanent flood protection works which will extend the rock armour revetment to adjacent sections of foreshore currently impacted by erosion. To ensure that the recreational use of the beach is preserved, a groyne field will be constructed to aid in sediment retention. These works, according to the release, will be initiated following the appropriation of the requisite funding in the 2024 Budget. In the short term (2024 – 2027), a holistic sustainable flood protection scheme will be developed for No.63 Beach which will provide climateresilient sea defences, thereby reducing flood risk.

In Monday’s Stabroek News edition, Corentyne activist Gobin Harbhajan said that a section of the ‘riprap’ sea defence, which was completed in 2021, was falling apart leaving several farms and residential areas exposed. According to Harbhajan, “a riprap sea defence, more like a seawall with boulders… is to prevent water from coming into the lower land and a few weeks ago it began washing away from the Number 61 entrance.” Region Six’s Regional Chairman, David Armogan, disputed the activist’s claim and said on his Facebook page that the riprap structure was stable and in good condition providing adequate flood protection from Number 59 to Number 61 villages. Armogan pointed out that recent changes in weather patterns had seen a significant lowering of the foreshore from Number 58 to Number 62 villages and “As a consequence, 30 metres of boulder face protection (short slope, not riprap) to the Number 61 beach entrance were affected.”