Dear Editor
It is now an open secret that Guyana is on the cusp of enormous development and progress. But the integrity of structures, protection of the natural environment and the promotion of public health must be crucial determinants at every stage of the planning and the executing processes. The massive oil finds, discovery of big deposits of natural resources such as gold, diamonds and other minerals and precious stones, huge potentials in Agriculture, Aquaculture, Hydro- power and other renewable energies. And the immense number of developers, who continue to show active interest in investing in, particularly, the extractive industries all combine to push Guyana forward on to the trajectory of great economic development. Almost every day, the media report, on investment proposals, of billions of dollars, to government, from local and global corporations, in different sectors of the economy. It is a good sign. But even better is the fact that the government is able to attract mega investments, which, if handled carefully, can and will benefit all Guyanese. One category of proposals that has stirred my interest is the construction of high- rise buildings including Global and International Brands Hotels. This, in my view, should be applauded because with those brands come direct and indirect employment and related benefits to local people and their communities. Taxes and fees for various permits could improve the national purse and more social, environmental, educational and other welfare services can be provided for the poor and vulnerable. Whole sections of the population can be lifted out of poverty, or at least be better off, economically. It is a good picture of the future of our country and generations of Guyanese can, in fact, benefit from our national patrimony.
That, notwithstanding, I am unable to imagine a perfect view of this vision of where we are heading as a nation without thinking about the environment, public health and safety, particularly as they relate to the construction of high-rise structures in the City. Just to be clear, I am not writing as an engineer but from an observational perspective shaped by my many years of interaction and experience, at different levels, with various aspects of city administration.
Georgetown, which is comprised of 66 districts, settles at 4 feet below the normal high tide and an additional 2 feet below spring tide. It is protected by a seawall, which runs 280 miles, built, by the Dutch, in the 1880, after the great flood in 1855. Essentially, this fragile structure protects the city and, in fact, the coastline, where there are many settlements and communities, from the incursion of the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of the Sea.
The city drainage system is supported by a network of drainage and irrigation canals, 10 kokers/sluices, [ the construction of sluices started in 1923]and 6 mobile hydro flow, pumping facilities. The Kitty pumping equipment and the Liliendaal pumping station were constructed in 1968 and 1973, respectively. The effective drainage of the city depends on gravity. This necessitates a regular rhythm of cleaning and clearing of those canals and waterways as well as the mouths of the outfall channels, which, by the way, continue to be impeded by delict boats and other things. Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest resulting in worrying levels of soil erosion and the movement of mud flowing into our rivers, sea and canals make it necessary to increase the frequency of clearance and desilting of those waterways. Of course, this is not happening because there appears to be inadequate resources to do it. Again, this coupled with Climate change, Global Warming and unprecedented environmental challenges including sea rise make the city more susceptible to flooding and the attendant negative effects on the safety and health of communities.
One of my immediate concerns, as a citizen, is the security of the integrity of foundations of structures being built, in the city but especially, along the sea front and the effects of those structures on the sea defence and allied things. In particular, pile driving and the kind of piles driven in that area. For example, if instead of using wood, developers use concrete piles, which is made up of concrete and steel then what can be the consequences if, after many years, sea water (salt water) seeps into those piles and corrode the steel. Naturally, it would weaken the foundation and consequently, compromise the integrity of such structures. Or what could happen if there is sea rise, at a rate of between 10 and 30 inches, by 2100, as the special report of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate change anticipates. Or what can happen after those structures fully settled after one year to the foundation of sea defences. I am sure that, those developers, [both local and international] who have hired qualified technical and professional specialists must have properly considered this and related concerns. But, I am afraid, there are some developers, who, in an effort to cut costs, take a simple approach to such highly technical matters, by hiring ordinary contractors, many of whom have no experience in constructing high- rise structures. This is dangerous. Particularly in light of reports of the characteristics of the structure of the foundation of the city and the probability of it sinking as contained in an “Accomplishment Report”, by a JICA Senior Volunteer, 2016. It is true that many traces of subsidence can be seen in the nation’s capital. And there are two possible reasons for this: consolidation settlement of soft clay, which is one of the characteristics of the foundation of Georgetown; the other is the pumping up of ground water; ground water is the main source water for domestic use in the city. In certain sections, one can see public and council roads higher than private houses. And some sections flood more easily than others.
This is precisely why, the conceptualization of a secondary city on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway as proposed by the government is a good idea. Going forward, the authorities would need to move people to higher grounds; it is the sensible thing to do. But even that has to be carefully planned because it will be developed in different environmental and infrastructural contexts with very different challenges.
Understanding the aforementioned facts, it is important that developers engage competent architects, who can design energy smart structures/buildings that take into account wind pattern, wind speed, wind direction, and efficient use of energy; highly competent Geotechnical Engineers; qualified Structural Engineers that can do proper analyses and produce reports, even before and at different phases of construction that can accurately guide developers and investors in constructing buildings; Quality Control and Management Engineers to determine the quality and suitability of building materials. Here, I would make an argument for investors to use local engineers because they are likely to be more familiar with the environment than foreigners because they live in the very areas where these structures are proposed to be constructed.
The other thing is that structures should be used for the purpose for which they were built, in the first place, because there are health and safety considerations. A structure built to be used as a bond or warehouse should not be used as a store, for example. If that is done then there would be certainly challenges to meet ventilation, lighting, sanitation and other public health and fire prevention standards. These are critical points that should not be overlooked or dismissed, by developers. There are prime examples of apparently failed foundations of high- rise buildings, in the city. If one looks carefully, in different sections of the city, Regent Street, Cummings Street, Oronoque Street, one will easily notice (even to the untrained eye) quite a few high- rise buildings tilted on one side or the other at different degrees; such buildings have enormous potentials environmental health, safety, and economic consequential implications on the overall health of the city. Perhaps, there is need for the establishment of a structural and design division with appropriate technologies, within the City Engineer’s Department. Perhaps, too, there is need for a complete review of the city building codes and by- laws to meet international standards.
Finally, the central signal from all that is happening around us, here, in Guyana, is the need to change. I don’t think that we are likely to enter into this new and unprecedented dawn of prosperity pulling behind us the old dusty and obsolete systems of the past even though embedded in some of those systems are some core principles. There must be a national awakening to the new economic social and environmental realties.
Yours truly,
Royston King
