Building Flood Defence Systems in Guyana

The World Bank is currently implementing a Conservancy Adaptation Project with the objective to reduce the vulnerability to Guyana’s low-lying coastal areas to catastrophic flooding. Guyana has repeatedly experienced a number of damaging floods in the past. Frequent and violent storm surges and the threat of sea level rise pose additional risk related to climate change. Therefore improving the resilience of Guyans’s flood defence infrastructure is critical to reducing of the existing vulnerabilities. Selected interventions include increasing of drainage performance, revitalization of sluices and drainage canals, monitoring the safety of dikes and seawalls, as well as strengthening of the capacity of national emergency sector. The main objective of the eoworld project was focused on the estimation of a potential land subsidence in the coastal lowland of Guyana, in particular the state of the old dyke system along the East Coast Demerara and the stability of the seawall located in the capital city - Georgetown. The terrain deformation study was complemented with up-to-date digital urban reference mapping and analysis of the assets exposed to floods based on the selected historical flood events.

Technical Officer: Philippe Bally

Starting Date: 2011-01-01

Suppliers:
EUROSENSE as supplier - prime
ALTAMIRA INFORMATION SL as supplier - sub

Users:
World Bank as user - buyer
Guyana National Disaster preparedness and emergency management sector as user - partner/collaborator

Services:
historical mapping of terrain deformations (Disaster Risk Management)
urban area location and type mapping (Urban)
digital elevation / terrain model (Basic Mapping and Cartography)
ocean analysis and forecast: sea level height (Marine Environment Management)
flood risk analysis (Disaster Risk Management)