Measures being implemented in Guyana to guard against sea level rise
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| Published on Thursday, August 16, 2007 |
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA): The government of Guyana is currently implementing several measures that seek to protect Guyana’s coastland from the threat of sea level rise, which is one of the many activities brought about by climate change.
Guyana’s coastline is about 430 kilometres with a plain that extends along the entire coast and lies generally between 0.5 metres and 1.0 metres below sea level at high tides. Experts predict that there is expected to be a global sea level rise of one metre over the next 50 – 100 years, with Guyana experiencing about two metres due to its unique characteristics that include mud coast, large landmass behind a low lying coast.
Based on this information, the present administration is currently investing in various activities that will reduce the impact of sea level rise including construction of the rock armour (rip-rap) sea defence structure which is appropriate for Guyana’s conditions.
According to Chief River and Sea Defence Officer George Howard, the rip-rap structure is designed for a 30-year period and takes into account expected sea level rise over this duration. In addition, this design caters for adequate settlement of the structure since the country has a weak soil foundation where the embankment is subject to a lot of settlement.
The rock armour dissipates wave energy better and therefore, precludes the need for a very high sea defence as would be required with a concrete structure. Rip-rap construction is done at a cheaper cost, utilising local materials (except the filter fabric which is imported) and results in more sea defence being addressed.
Howard pointed out the importance of monitoring and surveillance of both the physical sea defence structures and offshore activities that will enable engineers to determine interventions. The knowledge available today on coastal hydraulic stretching from the Amazon to the Oronoque River will enable engineers to make management decisions with regard to sea defence, he added.
Monitoring of offshore activities include focus on movement of the mud banks, which travel in a north-westerly direction between .9 and 1.3 kilometre per mile resulting in either accretion or erosion.
“There are between nine to eleven mud shoals along the coastland and if we can monitor them adequately and see how quickly they are moving, we can predict what areas are likely to be problematic,” Howard stated.
Focus is also being placed on monitoring sea rise through the use of water gauges which are located at the Georgetown, Rosignol and Parika ferry stellings. There are plans to set up more across the country.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to which Guyana is a signatory, work is being done to facilitate the identification of priority activities, including adaptation to sea level rise for the least-developed countries.
Additionally, Government in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Nations completed vulnerability studies to better understand the impacts of climate change on Guyana. These include Guyana’s Vulnerability Assessment to Sea Level Rise and a Socio- economic assessment of the impact of Sea level rise on Leguan, Georgetown and Onverwagt.
Sea defence structures that were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s particularly along the East Coast Demerara between Vryheid’s Lust and Triumph were designed to cater for overtopping of approximately two litres of water per metre of land with a grass embankment to allow for drainage of the water.
However, recent observations have revealed that the volume of water being experienced is resulting in erosion of the embankment, therefore, indicating that there is more water that what the structure was initially designed to accommodate.
Howard said sea defence is everyone’s responsibility and urged that citizens to use this infrastructure wisely and desist from certain activities including rearing of cattle, destruction of mangroves and removal of shells and sand from the sea shore. These activities are detrimental to the existence of sea defence and to the future of the coastland. | | | | Reads : 34 |
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