Dear Editor,

In a media letter of December 29, 2015, writer Edward Gonsalves expressed the view that former President Bharrat Jagdeo and now Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition has a deep understanding of the problems facing Guyana due to the rise in sea level. Therefore, the knowledge and experience Jagdeo has acquired during his Administration should be made available to the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government to alleviate the negative impacts climate change/sea level rise will have on Guyana’s drainage, irrigation and sea defences (DISD) systems.

The fundamental problems hindering Guyana’s development of its DISD systems to meet the challenges of sea level rise/climate change are lack of resources (financial, technical, managerial, etc). During the PPP Government, the European Union financed much of the work on sea defence, and the Hope Canal Project to relieve flood water from the East Demerara Conservancy was financed largely from a PetroCaribe Fund, while coastal drainage pumps were purchased from a Government of India loan. Grants and loans urgently needed to finance needed improvement and development works on DISD projects will be hard to access in the foreseeable future and, therefore, Guyana will have to generate its own resources to fund needed repairs, upgrading and the development of DISD works. Can it, given the many competing subsidies being demanded by various sectors of its economy?

Apart from sea level rise and loss of gravity drainage time, another major problem facing the sea defence is subsidence of its earth dams which will adversely affect flood water discharges through the sluices. The sea defence will have to be built/strengthened/repaired where it is most needed and would have the greatest impact to protect the people and the country’s economy.

After all, sea defence protection does not come cheap and its construction must be economically viable.

Yours faithfully,

Charles Sohan