The Dutch built Guyana’s FIRST POLDER SYSTEM in the 1600s-1700s. Their expertise is still Unmatched, Globally.
Bringing back Dutch EXPERTISE to assist with Guyana’s FLOOD MITIGATION is widely supported, as the Netherlands possesses UNMATCHED GLOBAL EXPERIENCE in managing WATER IN BELOW-SEA LEVEL ENVIRONMENTS.
However, instead of simply building more of the traditional colonial-era kokers and dykes, the focus should be on integrating MODERN Dutch water-management PRINCIPLES.
Need for Modernisation: While the original Dutch-built systems of canals and sluices serve as an important baseline, they are over two centuries old. When Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) teams visited Guyana to evaluate the network, they advised moving away from basic structural fixes. They recommended upgrading data management, hydraulic modeling, flood hazard mapping, and dredging capabilities.
Adapting to Climate Change: Rising sea levels and extreme, unusual rainfall patterns have rendered older infrastructure insufficient without modern technological upgrades. The Dutch could help map out a holistic, long-term national resilience strategy.
Ultimately, the GOAL is not to have the Dutch actively operating sluice gates, but to utilize their consulting and engineering capacity to MODERNISE and AUTOMATE the national drainage system.
The Dutch connection to Guyana’s water management
Legacy: The Dutch built the original canals, sluices/kokers, and polders to reclaim coastal land. That is why we call them “KOKERS” today. The whole coastal belt exists because of that engineering.
Modern expertise: Netherlands = Global leader in delta tech, flood control, and “building with nature.” Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Dutch Deltares Institute set the world standard.
Why Dutch involvement makes sense now.
Technical depth: Sea level rise + subsidence is exactly what Dutch engineers solve daily. They pioneered movable barriers, sand engines, and mangrove-integrated sea defenses.
Funding + partnerships: Dutch govt + Dutch companies like Boskalis, Van Oord already do adaptation work in Caribbean/SIDS. They bring grants + PPP models.
Mangrove + grey hybrid: Netherlands has shifted from “just concrete” to “Room for the River” + mangrove buffers. That fits Guyana’s coast perfectly.
How they should return – Vision for PARTNERSHIP.
Technical cooperation, not control: Deltares + local NDIA engineers’ co-design. Transfer knowledge so Guyanese run systems in 10 years.
Focus on 3 areas:
– Upgrade kokers with smart sensors + automated gates
– Mangrove restoration + “building with nature” sea defenses
– Drainage + polder management training for NDIA staff
Funding model: Mix of Dutch climate grants, World Bank, and Guyana govt. Avoid debt traps. Tie to LCDS 2030.
What Guyana must protect?
Sovereignty: Guyanese engineers’ lead. Dutch advise + transfer tech.
Local solutions: Dutch designs must adapt to Amazon mud coast, not just North Sea sand. Mangroves are our advantage.
Caribbean alignment: Coordinate with CARICOM CDEMA so it strengthens regional resilience, not just Guyana.
Bottom line: The Dutch BUILTY the FOUNDATION. Now they can help Guyana build THE FUTURE ON FLOODS PROTECTION. Partnership > dependency. Their engineering + OUR mangroves + OUR ownership = THE SHIELD.
GUYANA-NETHERLANDS WATER PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
“From Dutch Polders to Climate-Resilient Coasts”
VISION
Leverage 400 years of Dutch water engineering + Guyana’s mangrove coast to make Georgetown and the coastal belt flood-resilient by 2035. Partnership, NOT Dependency. Knowledge transfer, NOT Control.
PILLARS OF COOPERATION
SMART KOKERS & POLDER MODERNIZATION
Challenge: 300+ aging sluices/kokers overwhelmed by high tide + rainfall.
Action: Co-design with Deltares/NDIA to retrofit kokers with automated gates, sensors, remote monitoring. Pilot in East Demerara, then scale to Regions 3, 5, 6.
Impact: Reduce flood duration, cut manual failures, extend infrastructure life 25+ years.
Lead: National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) + Dutch delta engineers. Funding: Dutch climate grants + World Bank.
GREEN-GREY SEA DEFENSES
Challenge: 450km seawall + 60% mangrove protection under pressure from sea level rise.
Action: Apply Dutch “Building with Nature” model. Combine reinforced revetments + mangrove restoration/buffer zones. Use “sand engine” concepts adapted for Amazon mud coast.
Impact: Natural breakwater, carbon credits, fisheries boost, lower maintenance cost vs concrete-only.
Lead: Ministry of Agriculture + Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) + Dutch coastal institutes.
Funding: Global Risk Financing Facility (GRIF) + Green Climate Fund (GCF).
CAPACITY & TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Challenge: National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) need 24/7 asset management + climate modeling capacity.
Action: Establish Guyana Delta Academy with Dutch partners. Train Guyanese engineers in polder management, flood modeling, pump operations. Create digital twin of Georgetown drainage system.
Impact: Guyanese own the systems by 2035. Jobs created, brain drain reversed.
Lead: National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) + University of Guyana + Dutch UNIVERSITIES.
Funding: Dutch Government education grants + private sector.
TEAM
Guyana: Ministry of Agriculture, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Regional Councils.
Netherlands: Deltares, Rijkswaterstaat, Dutch companies, universities.
Partners: World Bank, Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Korea Forest Service, and Islamic Development Bank.
EXECUTION PRINCIPLE
VISION sets direction. TEAM provides the strength. PLAN sets the path. EXECUTION delivers THE FUTURE FREE OF FLOODINGS. Guyanese engineers lead. Dutch partners transfer. Mangroves + technology shields our children.
CLARION CALL
Let us turn the Dutch LEGACY TO a 21st century PARTNERSHIP. From the KOKERS they built to the climate SHIELD we BUILD TOGETHER.
SWOT for Georgetown Flood Resilience:
STRENGTHS
Existing infrastructure: 450km seawall + 300+ sluices/kokers + pump network already in place and being upgraded.
Political + funding will: $72.3B budgeted, World Bank US$45M Coastal Adaptation Project, GRIF funds from Norway active.
National strategy: LCDS 2030 + Integrated Drainage & Irrigation Strategy ISDI in development with GGGI.
Community knowledge: Generations of experience managing “kokers” and tidal drainage.
WEAKNESSES
Low elevation: Georgetown sits ∼6ft below sea level. 90% of population + GDP exposed.
Aging systems: Canals, sluices, pumps overwhelmed by heavy rain + high tide. Desilting backlog.
Urban paving: Rapid housing growth reduces natural absorption, increases runoff pressure.
Maintenance gaps: NDIA capacity + asset management need upgrades for 24/7 reliability.
OPPORTUNITIES
Green-grey solutions: Mangrove restoration = cheaper, sustainable defense + carbon credits + fisheries boost.
Climate finance: REDD+, GCF, CDB, World Bank grants available for climate adaptation projects.
Technology: Early warning systems, flood modeling, smart pumps, remote monitoring for real-time response.
Regional model: Guyana can lead CARICOM on low-lying coastal city adaptation.
THREATS
Sea level rise: Accelerating globally. High tides are already overtopping defenses more often.
Extreme weather: More intense rainfall events like 2005 + 2021 floods. Climate projections worsen.
Funding gaps: Large infrastructure + maintenance costs exceed current budget if disasters hit.
Complacency: “Doomsday 2030” narrative vs reality risk: slow action until crisis hits.
Bottom line: Leverage Strengths + Opportunities now. Fix Weaknesses before Threats compound.
PROJECTIONS that GEORGETOWN will be completely UNDERWATER by 2030 are based on a DOOMSDAY scenario model from Climate Central.
While the city faces severe climate threats, experts clarify that Georgetown is not expected to completely vanish beneath the ocean by this date, though it remains highly VULNERABLE to CATASTROPHIC FLOODING and high-tide overtopping.
From A Dependable Back Channel FORMER AMBASSADOR in Guyana who SAID. “Re Georgetown and Climate Change.”
“As far back as late 1980’s, a Guyanese EXPERT attached to the Commonwealth Secretariat in London had COMPLETED a STUDY on Climate change for the Commonwealth showing where GEORGETOWN and environs were at RISK of SINKING from RISE of OCEAN round about 2030’s.
It ARGUED for MOVEMENT INLAND.
President Hoyte had a copy of the report which he PUBLICISED.
Yet the massive CONSTRUCTION of NEW BUILDINGS has continued UNABATED. And Georgetown is inundated at a moment’s rainfall.”
7 KEYS: Vision → Team → Plan → Resources → Execution → Evaluation → LEADERSHIP.
