Makeshift dam breached at Craig

Nov 05, 2010 News

The section of the temporary embankment that was breached yesterday afternoon.

– Residents yet again at River’s mercy

Residents of Craig were at the mercy of the Demerara River yet again as the river breached a makeshift dam yesterday afternoon.
Several sections of the revetment that runs along Craig are scheduled for repair, including one portion that has completely given way and sunk into the river. In the interim the contractor tasked with the project, M&B Construction, has piled a line of sandbags along the length of the affected revetment. However at approximately 15:30 hrs yesterday, a portion of the sandbag barrier sank as the river undercut the mud below it and at one point the breach was deep enough for the river to begin flowing in.
Concerned residents gathered in their back yards and on their back steps and watched as their yards became slowly inundated. However most of them were not worried about immediate flooding affecting their homes yesterday afternoon, since the tide was already on its way out. Instead the residents were more concerned about this morning when the tide is expected to be even higher.
The residents claim that over the past month the contractor has just been there at the area putting mud/clay down trying to build a platform to reach the embankment. The river defence structure at Craig consists of a revetment, backed by an earthen dam. There is also a drainage canal or trench which runs behind the dam with the homes on the other side of the trench.
The contractor has recently been applying mud to the top of the earthen dam to gain an added measure of stability before undertaking the revetment works; however work has been stopped for the better part of a week now. According to the residents the contractor told them that the weather has made transporting and placing the clay that will give the heavy equipment access to the dam very difficult.
Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn said that the contractor has to deal with the breach at this time. He said that the site is in the hands of the contractor and he has to deal with any problems that may occur since this is an active rehabilitation. He noted however that he does not envisage it being a big problem.
Residents of the area beg to differ, Karrendo Maipaul, of 363 Craig Public Road, said that the last time the river overtopped he had to take his chickens upstairs and he never regained the items that he lost to the flood waters.
Ganesh Persaud, of 334 Craig Public Road, pointed out the line almost two feet off the ground around his house where the waters reached. He said that all of the spare parts and material that he had on the ground in his yard were lost when the waters came up.
With the Christmas holidays and another rainy season fast approaching the residents were justifiably concerned at the possibility of suffering even more losses for which they doubted ever seeing any compensation.
Bisham Singh, Chief River and Sea Defence Officer (Ag.) offered some hope, however, when he said yesterday afternoon that the contractor was mobilizing a crew along with the necessary equipment and material to close the breach. According to Singh, the contractor has been instructed to treat the issue as an emergency and will work through the night to ensure that this morning’s high tide does not inundate the residents of the area.