Euro 20M sea defence grant aid pact signed


Stabroek News
March 30, 2000


The country's sea defence system is to benefit from grant aid of Euro 20 million ($3.5 billion) from the European Union (EU).

President Bharrat Jagdeo and Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Guyana, Vincent De Visscher, signed the agreement at the Park Hotel yesterday.

Expressing confidence that the new programme will be as successful as others undertaken by the government in the past, De Visscher said that the EU financing agreement for the sea defence sector was made available from the resources of the eighth European Development Fund (EDF) and is basically a continuation of the seventh EDF. The new programme will cover a four-year period. Grant aid for this sector from the seventh EDF amounted to Euro 12 million ($2 billion).

Five kilometres (3.1 miles) of sea defences are to be rehabilitated under the new programme. Some 6.2 kilometres (3.9 miles) were rehabilitated under the seventh EDF. As such the overall assistance from the EU will enable the country to secure one third of the sea defence system which was classified as critical, De Visscher said.

In addition, material and technical assistance will be supplied to the Sea and River Defence Division of the Ministry of Public Works and Communication to carry out ongoing maintenance and emergency works. This was also done under the seventh EDF.

He also noted that in the new programme particular attention will be given to the establishment of a shore zone management system. Specific actions in the programme include aerial photography of the coastal area from Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) to Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne); the collection of detailed coastal marine and oceanographic data, the creation of mathematical models forecasting the evolution of the coast and identifying the potentially vulnerable areas; a socio-economic study to be carried out to identify measures and activities to increase public awareness and participation in the monitoring and maintenance of the sea defences; technical assistance to the government for the strengthening of related institutions and implementing of an integrated approach to the sector. A special component deals with the necessary support to the institutions involved for the adoption and implementation of such a system.

The aerial photographs of the coastal areas will be deposited with the Lands and Surveys Department. Digital maps will also be produced. This component will complement the assistance given by the Department For International Development (DFID) of the UK to the Lands and Surveys Department. The collection of detailed coastal, marine and oceanographic data will be initially implemented in a pilot area from Anna Regina to Georgetown, where three quarters of the population of the country reside. This programme will be done in collaboration with other ongoing related interventions in the sea defence sector such as the Organisation of American States (OAS) programme of establishing a sea-level/climate monitoring system.

Provision is also being made in the eighth EDF for the natural expansion of this programme along the full length of Guyana's coastline.

Witnessing the signing ceremony were Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Saisnarine Kowlessar; Minister of Works, Anthony Xavier; Permanent Secretary, Kenneth Jordan; EU Technical Adviser, Lefteris Tsiavos; representatives of the private sector and members of the diplomatic corps.

In brief remarks Jagdeo expressed government's gratitude for the assistance the country received over the past years in a number of areas. Some of the areas were highlighted by De Visscher and included the development of potable water supply systems at Pouderoyen, Rose Hall and New Amsterdam; the rehabilitation of the Demerara Harbour Bridge and work in the sea defence sector.

Jagdeo said that because of the nature of the EU assistance, mainly grant aid, it did not put a burden on the country's treasury.

He noted, too, that the EU was always willing to focus on large projects in keeping with the objective of infrastructure for growth to combat poverty. Increasingly, he said, multilateral and bilateral donors are using this strategy for poverty alleviation in the long term.

Pointing out that over the years shore zone management has never really gotten off the ground, the President said this was mainly due to the fact that while funding was available from international lending agencies the projects were either too large for local firms or were too small for international firms.