“When the mapping has been completed, we will model Georgetown on software and we can actually see where the areas of risks are, where the flood areas are, based on the water-flow, and we can then make targeted interventions,” the Public Infrastructure Minister said.

At the time, he was delivering the feature address during the launch of the Government of Guyana and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) US$30.9M Sea and River Defence Resilience Project at the Pegasus Hotel.

In November, 2015, Head of the DRR Team Rob Steijn had told the Government that the poor drainage system in the capital city must be tackled from the planning stage right up to the enforcement of legislation.

Steijn, a Social Scientist, had said that Guyana needs to upgrade its drainage network on both technical and managerial levels. He confidently emphasised the need for an integrated approach to be taken.

He had also said that Guyana’s water system was in dire need of attention, noting that the government’s predictability to water issues must be improved. As a short-term solution, Steijn recommended a small-scale dredging.

However, Steijn’s presentation was not all doom and gloom. Rather, he noted that the observations were “not all bad”.

It was pointed out that The Netherlands had significant experience in drainage, since, like Guyana, it was low-lying. Most of The Netherlands is below sea level.

In total, Steijn made seven recommendations, which are: Upgrade modelling capability; increase flood resilience of people and businesses; upgrade dredging capabilities and improve flow efficiency; develop long-term plans; develop and test a pilot project; develop and apply a life-cycle approach for the drainage assets; and data management through digitisation.

His recommendations were endorsed by team members Judith Klostermann and Fokke Westebring, a civil engineer.