World Bank financing will also address critical parts of East Demerara conservancy

World Bank funding to reduce flooding in Georgetown will also address critical parts of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).

The Ministry of Agriculture this week sealed contracts amounting to approximately US$8.5 million, seeking to reduce the risk of flooding in the low-lying areas of East Demerara, a release from the World Bank yesterday noted. The contracts are funded through the World Bankfinanced Guyana Flood Risk Management Project.

The release said that the impact of rising sea levels and intensified storm surges in Guyana could exceed 46.4 percent in Gross Domestic Product losses. It added that despite extensive urban and rural drainage, Georgetown’s system is frequently overwhelmed, resulting in severe flooding which causes damage to infrastructure and disrupts urban activities.

“The World Bank is pleased to support Guyana, as the country seeks to build its climate resilience”, said Diletta Doretti,

World Bank’s Resident Representative for Guyana. “Flooding not only has negative impacts on lives and livelihoods but can also impact health, due to communicable diseases”, Doretti added. The release said that Doretti further commended the Government of Guyana for awarding the contracts to local companies.

The interventions financed under these contracts will lower flood levels in two catchment areas, and include replacement of existing pumps, additional pumping capacity, rehabilitation of the sluice gates at Ogle, and two mobile pumps, also at Ogle. Further, the Flood Risk Management Project supports upgrading critical sections of the EDWC Dams, and institutional strengthening for flood risk reduction while also enabling project management and implementation support. During the 2005 Great Flood, the compromising of the EDWC dams was believed to be behind the catastrophic flooding that hit the East Coast and parts of Georgetown for weeks.