All sea defence breaches at Mahaicony sealed

The more than 500 metre stretch of breached sea defence at Content and Dantzig, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara are now sealed, months after the People’s Progressive Party Civic government expended a total of $1.9 billion to conduct repairs.

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, on Thursday, told the News Room that M&B Construction Company sealed the last 100-metre breach and now, residents who suffered millions of dollars in damage to their crops and livestock from the salty Atlantic Ocean can breathe a sigh of relief.

Rehabilitation works to the breaches at Dantzig and Content since August last year were split between Brian Tiwarie’s BK Construction Company, A&S General Contracting Inc., M&B Construction Company and Toolsie Persaud.

“The entire shoreline there now is sealed off but it took some prodding to get it done right but I am happy that the entire piece is sealed,” Minister Indar reported.

From July 2019 and onwards, several sections of the sea defence structure at Dantzig and Content have repeatedly collapsed causing the destruction of acres of farmlands.

With that stretch sealed off, efforts are now focused on the Essequibo Coast and the East Bank of Berbice to close off small breaches there.

“Sisters and Lonsdale on the East Bank of Berbice, there are a few breaches there and also in Wakenaam, Leguan, Zeelugt has another one…the entire coastline is what we are addressing now,” he continued.

Repairs to Guyana’s sea defence have taken a chunk of budget with some $5.1 billion allocated to repair and preserve those same areas in the 2021 National Budget.

The government, when making the allocation, took into consideration the consequences of climate change, including rising sea levels on Guyana’s sea and river defence infrastructure.

And as the threat of climate change continues, the government has said that it will continue to closely monitor the shoreline. Those measures include reactivating the sea defence rangers, applying drone technology to monitor shoreline movement and the erosion and accretion cycle, intensifying routine maintenance, and deploying stockpiles of armour rocks to strategic locations and ensuring that quick response mechanisms are in place to avert future breaches.