EU expert to help find solution to overtopping

The European Union (EU) on Wednesday expressed grave concerns over the persistent overtopping along the Rupert Craig Highway and has extended the mission of an expert to assess the situation and provide the government with concrete recommendations to deal with the issue.
“The European Union, like the entire Guyanese population, is gravely concerned at the recent overtopping of the sea defences that resulted in flooding to parts of the coastland and various wards of the city of Georgetown,” the EU delegation said in a statement.

In swift reaction, the EU delegation in Guyana has requested the extension of a technical mission of a coastal engineering design expert from Consultancy with Engineering, Environmental Science and Economics (COWI), who is currently engaged in similarly related works to assess the possible solutions to this emergency.
At the same time, the EU said it has been providing to the government of Guyana, technical expertise in the sector of coastal and marine structures and construction.
The coastal engineering expert has recently assessed the quality and extent of the support provided by the EU in the recent reconstruction of sea defences at various sites along the coast, in order to advise the government of Guyana in further development of its sea defence strategy, which the EU is preparing to support by contributing up to euro 15 million over the next three years.
According to the EU, as a matter of urgency, it has agreed to extend and expand the mission of the COWI expert (who is presently in the country), to assess the overtopping of the sea defences along the Rupert Craig Highway and to make concrete recommendations to the Public Works Ministry to mitigate future occurrences. The expert is expected to provide his final report and recommendations to the EU and the Public Works Ministry by the end of June.
EU head of delegation in Guyana, Ambassador Robert Kopecký said he is hopeful that the consultant, together with the technical team from the Public Works Ministry, will formulate an effective strategy to address the issue.

Ambassador Kopecký also heaped praise on Public Works Minister Robeson Benn and his team who responded efficiently and ensured that the flooding was brought under control as the high tides continued to overtop the sea defences.
Overtopping of the sea wall along the Rupert Craig Highway has caused untold hardships to commuters and motorists over the past two years. Only recently, for several days the northern carriageway and some sections of the southern were impassable due to flooding caused by high tides.
Government was forced to place sand bags along the embankment and has since banned the Sunday and holiday night lime at that section of the sea wall.