To date, the Government of Guyana (GoG) would have expended approximately US$6M to plug breaches to the sea defence structures in Region Five after they were decimated by the spring tides in October and November last year. This is according to Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson during a National Communications Network (NCN)’s programme, “Context” hosted by veteran journalist Enrico Woolford yesterday.
Those affected areas include Danzig, Fairfield and Prospect.
“We have the emergency works in Danzig/Fairfield Mahaicony…There was a breach there…We spent almost US$6M to date sealing that breach. And I want to highlight that it wasn’t an existing sea defence. It was mangrove and earthen dams which would have been there from time immemorial,” he said.
The Minister noted that “climate change is real” and this is evident in the destruction being caused by the spring tides in those areas.
“We started losing the mangroves at an alarming rate…About two and a half kilometres…So we have to construct two and a half kilometres,” he said.
The minister noted too, that with the increased water levels and rapid currents, the environment is “treacherous”. At least two barges sunk during last year alone. The works include the placement of boulders (rip-rap) at high-stressed areas, along with the construction of dams and other mechanisms.
Some 400 households were said to have been affected by the high tides. Persons would have suffered great loss to real estate, cash-crops, and livestock.
