Conservancy Adaptation Project

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The project development objective of the Conservancy Adaptation Project (CAP) is to reduce the vulnerability of catastrophic flooding in the Guyana low-lying coastal area that is currently threatened by sea level rise resulting from global climate change. This project has been developed to guide a comprehensive upgrading program of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and lowland drainage system, aimed at increasing discharge capacity and improving water level management. The project will also provide a technical framework for future donor intervention in the drainage and irrigation sector. In addition to developing the technical baseline for adaptation measures, the project will include some small infrastructure improvements to help cope with the immediate threats to the drainage system. The tools developed under the analytical component of the CAP will be used by the Government of the Republic of Guyana (GoG) and donor agencies to guide future investments. There are three components to the project. The first component is the pre-investment studies for engineering design of works. The objective of this component is to provide the hydrologic baseline necessary for contemplating rational interventions aimed at increasing the current discharge capacity of the flood control system. The second component is the investments in specific adaptation measures. The objective of this component is to counteract the effects of sea level rise, which has decreased the GoG's ability to manage water levels of the EDWC system. The third component is the institutional strengthening and project management. The objective of this component is to strengthen the institutional framework for flood control within the context of the national emergency management sector headed by the civil defense commission. The project will also support an institutional consolidation of flood control in Guyana to help create consensus around a medium and long term intervention strategy to help the country adapt to sea level rise