We should enlist the help of the Netherlands to solve our drainage problems

Dear Editor,

A collaboration with the Netherlands is useful to solve our drainage problems. Every Guyanese should know that the Dutch from the Netherlands were the first Europeans to colonise Guiana. Furthermore, since the Netherlands is below sea level like Guyana, the Dutch are renowned for their ability to set up excellent drainage and irrigation systems. Holland is just about 15,060 square miles and according to figures from a book published in 2002, the population was approximately fifteen million.

Sadly, after independence we did not continue to maintain our drainage systems properly. Some of our canals were filled up, many kokers over time became dysfunctional and the seawalls were allowed to deteriorate, resulting in flooding. Many Guyanese have suffered losses of crops, livestock and damage to property.

In Georgetown flooding is caused by throwing garbage into the gutters, canals, on the roads – practically all over. In building high-rise buildings, contractors have blocked the drains with building waste.

Let us approach Holland and try to enlist their help in drainage to deal with the scourge of flooding.

Yours faithfully,

Malcolm Maynard

the PPP would have handed BK a $US multi milliom "scontract" to do de jaab . . . then, after 5 more years of nutten and flooding, hand he anadda wan fuh even more money

gangster governance

This blog was posted in SN letter column 7-25-15

We can keep our capital safe, no need to move inland

University of Guyana Professor, Roy Westmaas, spoke of relocating our capital city.

This will be hugely expensive and is at this stage a dream. Prior to this I had contacted Go-Invest asking their support to act as an intermediary with relevant Guyanese agencies of the then PPP administration and other relevant institutions in connection with my plans to set up an industrial site at Craig/Hope water front on the East Bank Demerara with the intention to manufacture concrete products, such as compressed (14, 000-psi) plates and pilings for revetment purposes and sea defence structures; concrete tubes for shallow wells; compressed solid blocks; beams; culverts; internal drainage liners; compressed concrete tiles (2-sq. meters); etc.

I am a Guyanese-Dutch born national, practically trained, skilled and oriented in Hydrological Engineering specialised in heavy concrete-water and civil engineering. Currently, I am residing and have worked in the Netherlands for more than 25 years in such a capacity.

With this experience, I give the assurance as a Dutch Engineer that my involvement in such activity will combat flooding, protect and secure our capital garden city from destruction and devastation caused by natural disaster. In my outlined proposal to Go-Invest, I proposed that we retreat back into the sea, going outward some 40 metres with a height of 2 metres, from the existing and devastated sea walls, commencing from the UG road geographical location to the Demerara River mouth hydrographical location and 16 metres out into the Demerara River, commencing from Kingston to Meadow Bank-Ruimveldt. This project would cost some Euros. 80-million (80, 000, 000. 00). In addition, I have outlined that all internal drainages, totalling some 50-miles in and around Georgetown must be raised one metre (1-m.) from its present hydro and geo-graphical situation with compressed interlocked, prefabricated concrete revetment plates and pilings.

I am willing to contribute my innate skills and knowledge to my native country (Guyana) by helping to make available and to facilitate the hydrological surveys and to provide blueprint engineering drawings, pertinent to the sea defence structures and internal trench revetment.

To combat and to eliminate flooding in and around our beautiful and ancient city, to protect and to safeguard our city of heritage, we have to enhance sustainable and reliable concrete structures on the sea shores, riverain banks and side-line dam trenches.

Financing for such projects, would be possible as my existing organisation, the Caribbean Outlook Foundation, Inc. based in the Netherlands has affiliates in Guyana.  We are a direct entity to European funding (www.fmo.nl) and not as an intermediary entity.

Rev. Surujlall Motilall

(Retired Hydrological Engineer from the Netherlands)

How come the flood and heavy rain fall is not political, when this happened during the PPP rule, it was "blame the ruling government". This is happening in the PNC/APNU rule and is the act of GOD. Either the Blackman are dumb or have shallow memory, maybe the GODS are against them, look out for tsunami!!!

While one may contemplate to eliminate flooding, it is indeed impossible to achieve.

One usually design projects with, e.g., one in five, ten, fifty, one-hundred, one-thousand, etc., probability of occurrence.

It means that there will still be flooding with a probability of, e.g., one in twenty, ten, two, one or 0.01; in any year.