FINAL REPORT DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT OF A RISK ASSESSMENT SPATIAL DATABASE AND RISK MAPS, CONDUCT TRAINING ON DATA GATHERING, GIS, USE OF GPS, EXPLOITATION AND UPDATING OF THE DATABASEFOR THE AREAS IDENTIFIED IN REGION 9 A UNDP (Guyana) and Guyana Civil Defence Commission Project

Oronde Drakes Environmental Hazards and GIS Specialist Consultant November, 2013

Table of Contents List of Acronyms ...... 3 Executive Summary ...... 4 Context ...... 5 Purpose and Scope ...... 6 Methodology ...... 7 Limitations ...... 8 Findings ...... 10 Villages ...... 11 Massara ...... 11 Sand Creek ...... 17 Mikey’s Landing ...... 20 Lethem ...... 21 Risk Assessment Spatial Database Training Sessions...... 24 Stakeholder Meeting ...... 24 Training Programme ...... 24 Deliverables...... 25 Recommendations ...... 26 Early Warning Points ...... 26 Village Flood Monitoring Points ...... 26 Water Contamination ...... 27 Existing Capacities ...... 27 Technical Capacities ...... 27 Expansion ...... 28 Conclusion ...... 29 Appendix 1: Calculation of the Index of Flood Risk ...... 30 Appendix 2: ...... 31 Comparison of Inundation Risk derived only from elevation with that of Inundation Risk derived as a product of elevation and distance from waterways ...... 31 Appendix 3: Land Cover ...... 32 Appendix 4: Tasks for database ...... 33 Appendix 5: Table Relationships of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database ...... 35 Appendix 6: Location Data Entry Form of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database ...... 36

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Appendix 7: Normal Observations Data Entry Form of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database ...... 37 Appendix 8: Hazard Event Data entry Form of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database ...... 38

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List of Acronyms CDC Civil Defence Commission CI Conservation International CRMI Caribbean Risk Management Initiative CSO Community Support Officer CWH Community Health Worker DDO District Development Officer DRM Disaster Risk Management E East EWP Early Warning Point Ft. Feet FMP Flood Monitoring Point GDF Guyana Defence Force GGMC Guyana Geology and Mines Commission GPF Guyana Police Force GPS Global Positioning System GL&SC Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission GRCS Guyana Red Cross Society km Kilometres m Meters N North NAREI National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute RDC Regional Democratic Council RRMC Risk Reduction Management Centre S South SRTM Shuttle Radar Topography Mission UNDP United Nations Development Programme W West WWF World Wildlife Fund

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Executive Summary The consultant conducted activities which covered sites in several districts of Administrative Region 9, provided a better understanding of the variation within the region and the specific characteristics of each of the villages chosen for Early Warning Points and the RRMC. The districts represented were South Pakaraimas –Mikey’s Landing, Karasabai, an EWP; North Rupununi – Massara, an EWP; Central Rupununi –Lethem, the site of the RRMC; and, South Central Rupununi –Sand Creek, an EWP. The distribution leaves only the Deep South Rupununi District of the Rupununi West Sub-region unaccounted for in the pilot RRMC structure. The Rewa/Upper Essequibo (Rupununi East) Sub-region, which is not subdivided into districts, is also unrepresented in the project’s structure (see Figure 1, Region 9: Administrative Boundaries). The data gathering exercise, through informal focus groups at Massara and Sand Creek (the contact person at Mikey’s Landing, Karasabai was absent when the team arrived) revealed that these communities do not consider wild fires a hazard to their communities. This may indicate that the all hazard approach taken in the design of the spatial database for risk mapping overestimated the importance and impact of such events. Conversely, it may also highlight a potential increased vulnerability in these communities created from the underestimation of the risk posed by these events. Further investigation would be required to determine which situation reflects the reality. There were several deficiencies in capacity within each village identified as an EWP site. The most severe being the lack of exposure and access to information technology and in particular, computer hardware. This circumstance reduced the scope of the training sessions as it manifested in slower progress through the multiple topics covered. The result was that only the main topics needed to understand the functioning of the spatial database and wider GIS mapping software were addressed. This limited capacity can potentially create a bottleneck, negatively impacting the execution of the project. The CDC has recognised that steps may be needed to correct these issues. Figure 1, Region 9: Administrative Boundaries

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Context Guyana is a small nation on the northern coast of South America located between latitudes 01o and 10o North and longitudes 56o and 62o West. Uniquely the only English speaking country on the continent, it has historically been linked to the (former) British Caribbean rather than the neighbouring Latin countries of South America. Like all countries, it is susceptible to a variety of natural hazards; the most prominent being floods (seasonal riverine flooding and coastal overtopping of sea and river defences potentially linked to sea level rise) and seasonal droughts1 (see Figure 2 Guyana: Major Subregional Environmental Hazards). Cascading hazard events including wild fires and viral/bacterial outbreaks are also known, often linked to the interplay of the major hazard events with anthropogenic activities.

Figure 2: Guyana: Major Subregional Environmental Hazards

Floods are the major environmental hazard, occurring annually over wide areas and often resulting in disaster situations. To combat these and other disasters, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the national organisation responsible for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) has been 'engaged in several initiatives aimed at coordinating and supporting the development and enhancement of a

1 (Civil Defence Commission, 2013) Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 5 comprehensive disaster management system within the country, involving the stages of disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response' (United Nations Development Programme, Guyana , 2013). The Pilot Project for the Caribbean Risk Management Initiative (CRMI) is one such undertaking currently under implementation2. The project targets Administrative Region 9, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo; geographically the largest region at 57,790km2 but with a density of 0.34/km2, one of the least populated. This area is also extremely vulnerable to floods, regularly experiencing seasonal riverine inundation.

Following the Cuban Risk Reduction Management Centre model, the CRMI Pilot Project attempts to reduce the existing regional disaster vulnerability. While focused on the flood hazard, all potential hazard/disaster events are considered. The CDC, the implementing agency, has identified locations the banks of the three (3) major rivers- Ireng, Takutu and Rupununi- draining the more heavily populated western sub-region of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo for a Risk Reduction Management Centre (RRMC) at Lethem (3°22'55.486"N, 59°48'2.913"W) on the Takutu River and 3 Early Warning Points (EWPs) at the Amerindian communities of Massara (3°53'19.754"N, 59°18'7.586"W) and Sand Creek (3°0'46.725"N, 59°34'7.692"W) on the Rupununi River and an a point, known as Mickey's Landing (3°58'50.676"N, 59°33'7.426"W), on the Ireng River and within the Amerindian community of Karasabai.

Purpose and Scope A component of the CRMI Pilot Project, the objective of this consultancy was to 'support Disaster Risk Analysis and Disaster Risk Management at the local and regional level in Region 9, through technical assistance regarding compilation ...of data for Risk Map development, data analysis, and development of a spatial database with exploitation and risk mapping functionalities.' The consultant also strove to facilitate 'knowledge transfer and replication'3. Strategy meetings with the CDC and UNDP along with a field mission to Administrative Region 9 served to fulfil this mandate by: 1) Gathering data on flood areas, characteristics of identified hazard events, elevation, village infrastructure and capacity to withstand the major environmental hazards occurring in the region; 2) Ground truthing prior obtained data; 3) Facilitating knowledge transfer between the residents of the EWP and RRMC communities and the implementing partners. This involved both training exercises as well as information gathered from the communities. Training was conducted with stakeholders in relevant data gathering and the use of the database as well as simple GIS; and, 4) Testing and subsequent development of the spatial database for risk management with the stakeholders.

2 'this project seeks to develop a Risk Reduction Management Centre (RRMC) and three (3) Early Warning Points (EWPs) in Region 9, as a replication of the Cuban model' (United Nations Development Programme, Guyana , 2013) 3 (United Nations Development Programme, Guyana , 2013) Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 6

Methodology To support Disaster Risk Analysis and Disaster Risk Management at the local and regional level in Region 9, Guyana the consultant undertook a number of steps. These cumulated in the design and deployment of a risk assessment spatial database and risk maps for Administrative Region Nine: Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo. Further, to ensure efficient and consistent use of this tool, training on data gathering, GIS, use of GPS and the exploitation and updating of the database was conducted with relevant stakeholders of the region.

To fully understand the spatial and environmental dynamics of Region 9 a brief review was conducted focusing on the geography and known natural hazards of the area. Since it is known that floods and drought are the main environmental hazards affecting the region (United Nations Development Programme, Guyana , 2013), particular attention was given to assess the historic effects of these. As expected, the previous work conducted by the CDC and Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS) have been key to developing this understanding of the hazards, disasters and the customary and established methods of management and mitigation employed in the Region.

The outcome of this assessment was a clearer perspective of the natural hazards and disasters which the risk assessment spatial database must target. It also elucidated the important datasets- geographic and socio-economic- which were necessary for the database to function effectively. A field data gathering exercise then followed. Given the restrictive time span of the consultancy, it was not expected that very much data would have been gathered in the field. Rather, the consultant obtained much of the data- particularly the geographic datasets- from that already held in a number of government and nongovernmental organisations. As such, the CDC, GRCS and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) were all approached. Data from other NGOs working in the area (Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund) also proved valuable. Field assessment/data gathering and ground truthing was conducted with stakeholders during the CDC field visit held in the first and second weeks of November 2013.

The Risk Assessment Spatial Database was created using the Microsoft Access platform. The format is easy to integrate into a geographic information system (GIS) making it very attractive as the backend of many applications. The consultant produced a database focused on simplicity, enabling ease of understanding and use. An easy to understand database has been essential since most of the intended end users are first time operators of such systems and, once the consultancy is over, the database will be left with the members of the community and regional bodies to update, utilise and expand. Within the Risk Assessment Spatial Database, a number of tables link the factors of disaster risk in Region 9. Geographic coordinates then pin all readings/reports to a physical location, making it possible to integrate the database into a wider GIS, with the possibility of creating maps and models as well as charts, reports, other spatial data/information visualizations and analysis.

Subsequent to the approval of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database, the consultant endeavoured to train relevant stakeholders on its use and developed supporting functions and skills. These stakeholders were guided through the basics of the database design. The particular features of this database were highlighted and necessary skill sets including, building and using tables, queries, forms and reports developed. It was recognised that in addition to a full understanding of the

Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 7 function of the database, stakeholders also need to be able to gather data in the field in order to effectively update the tool. Experience at the University of Guyana was leveraged, teaching these skills, including data gathering and reporting along with basic geography, the use of GIS and GPS and creation of maps in order to support effective use of the final database. User manuals were also created for both the risk assessment spatial database and the GIS program as a guide to all future users of the system.

The platform for GIS married to the spatial database was the ArcGIS suite developed by ESRI. This is the same software used within the government Ministries as well as many of the international NGOs present in Guyana. As such, there should be no issues of data format compatibility arising, should the consultant provided base datasets need to be updated with higher resolution or more current data from these agencies be required in future.

As was proposed the GPS field sessions marked the locations of each data gathering point or other point of interest. This ensured the information was available for use in the GIS and specifically for tying all data recordings entered into the database to an actual location- used as a unique identifier. The outlined method also ensured that recordings are made at the same location each time, building a consistent data gathering procedure as well as ensuring that new data points are not accidentally added into the system; reducing potential errors.

Final maps were created after the training session had been completed. This give time for the collection and assessment of all necessary and available datasets as well as allowing for community participation in the process, both in developing map sets and in vetting maps based on their local knowledge of past events. The use of the training sessions allowed for community/stakeholder mapping sessions to help drive the development of the risk map, highlighting locally important areas which may not have been present on national topographic maps etc. The GIS methodology and layout of these maps will serve as templates for later versions created by the RRMC.

Limitations There are several limitations inherent in such work. These represented uncertainties in data quality and accuracy, limits to ground truthing and slowed/delayed/uncertain uptake of training by targeted groups.

Poor quality of available data was often the major hurdle encountered during project execution. Missing and unobtainable data resulted in the use of less than ideal datasets of lower spatial or temporal resolution than was optimum. Inconsistent datasets -varying scales and temporal resolutions as well as datasets obtained via varying data gathering methods- were another hurdle. These situations potentially resulted in degrading accuracy of a combined dataset and the need to disregard some data sources entirely. This material may be improved as better quality data becomes available over the lifetime of the project. Lastly the short time frame available for conducting the study meant the necessity of reliance on secondary data sources. Without extensive and adequate ground truthing, the errors inherent in these datasets could have been conveyed into the outputs of this and any future analyses utilising these products. There was also potential for various sources of bias to enter via the study design. These sources of bias included that of the

Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 8 reporting parties, village members, government officials etc., proving skewed information based on their own biases or perceptions of the intent of those conducting the study. All effort was made to triangulate informating received from these varied sources, theirby minimising such risk. The continued data gathering and ground truthing by the participants of the training sessions should also serve as a long term control for such errors of accuracy and bias. While all efforts were made to remove or minimise these issues, there is always some potential for sources of bias, inaccuracies or errors of varying scales, to enter into final products. The volunteers of the CRMI Pilot Project must remain vigilant in observing, recording and reporting exercises in order to minimise such potential errors.

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Findings A matrix representing an Index of Flood Risk was created and applied to each site in the RRMC structure. This ‘Flood Risk Index’, is a combination of key variables affecting the overall impact of floods in the region. These variables encompass the slope of the land, distance from waterways and indices representing the availability of potable water and level of sanitation present in each settlement (See Appendix 1 and GIS User Manual). This expression may be viewed as:

Flood Risk Index = (Distance from Rivers & Streams + Slope) - (Potable Water-Sanitation) Since the indices for sanitation and availability of potable water could only be aggregated to areas of settlement, the overall flood risk has had to be represented per settlement (see relevant areas within the description of each settlement below). The geographic area comprising Lethem, Tabatinga, Culvert City and St. Ignatius has been revealed to have the lowest overall flood risk of those surveyed. The EWP village of Massara has been deemed to be of highest flood risk while Figure 3 Region 9: Inundation Risk Sand Creek was seen to have the highest internal variability within a settlement. These differences for the most part represent variations in the sanitation and potable water indices. While the Index of Flood Risk has allowed for comparative assessments between and within settlements, it has also left large areas unassessed. To cover these areas, the coarser variable of inundation risk over the entire region has been presented (see Figure 3 Region 9: Inundation Risk). This derives a value of inundation risk based on elevation and the distance from rivers, creeks and streams. The elevation data was gained from a SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)4 dataset obtained from WWF. The distance from waterways was created via an Euclidean Distance function run on

 4 Jarvis, A., H.I. Reuter, A. Nelson, E. Guevara, 2008, Hole-filled SRTM for the globe Version 4, available from the CGIAR-CSI SRTM 90m Database (http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org). Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 10

2 datasets gathered from the GL≻ Main Rivers and Creeks and Streams. Though elevation usually gives a good approximation of relative inundation potential, the distance from water sources also affects the rate and depth of actual flooding. As such this factor also had to be included in an assessment of inundation risk. Slope was not included as it is a reflection of relative elevation and thus, its inclusion would have twice counted the effect of elevation in the assessment. Figure 3 which shows the resulting regional inundation risk for the Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo administrative region of Guyana was calculated as follows:

Inundation Risk = Elevation * Distance from Rivers/Streams Elevation remains the major factor in determining inundation risk but its effect has been clearly adjusted by the distance from waterways variable which has lowered the risk level in several areas –particularly in the south west of the region- while increasing it in others, notably along the courses of major rivers and streams, even in higher elevation areas such as the upper Essequibo, Rupununi, Rewa and Ireng basins. It should be noted that these areas of increased inundation risk (as compared to that garnered by elevation alone) closely mirror the extent of the flooded forests land cover type (see Appendix 3 Land Cover). Appendix 2 illustrates a comparison between the solely elevation derived inundation risk and the more intuitive measure which multiples a factor of the distance from waterways by that of elevation.

Villages Massara A village of 418 persons5 (an increase of 109 from the 2002 national census), Massara is settled in two clusters on the left (western) bank of the Rupununi River at the approximate coordinates 3°53'19.754"N, 59°18'7.586"W. The dwelling clusters are approximately 300m apart with the northern cluster (closer to the road) holding all major infrastructure and the majority of the population. This northern group of homes is sited approximately 825m south west of the Rupununi River at an elevation of 81-86m6. The southern cluster is approximately 1300m distant from the Bonuni Creek to the south and 1730m from the Rupununi River to the east at their closest points. It ranges in elevation from approximately 82m to 94m. Farming occurs about 35 miles (56km) up river in the Massara Tract A Amerindian Titled Land (Figure 4: Massara over leaf). All of the houses in the northern cluster are provided with water from a central gravity flow system of 4 water tanks drawing water from a covered well via a solar powered pump (see Photo1: Massara Water Tanks and main stand pipe and Figure 4: Massara Points of Interest). Stand pipes are distributed throughout the cluster but are infrequently used. The reduced demand a result of the connection of many homes in this area to the central water distribution system.

5 Massara Village Council data 2013 6 All elevation data a combination of the readings taken from 2 GPS devices used during the field visit and SRTM data Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 11

Figure 4: Massara Photo 1: Massara Water Tanks and main stand pipe There is no such system in the southern cluster (see Figure 5) where residents depend on hand dug wells in the dry season and rain water capture and storage during the wet season. The hand dug wells are not utilised during the wet season as with the exception of one, they are all inundated during this time. Being open wells, these structures are all also susceptible to the inflow of refuse, dust, faeces (both animal and human) and other detritus carried by flood water in the wet season and air borne bits of these in the dry season. Further the soil type and the well casings contribute to frequent wall collapses in these hand dug wells, limiting their use and requiring annual maintenance. These factors result in Potable Water Index scores of 10 and 5 for the northern and southern housing clusters

Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 12 respectively. The susceptibility of the uncovered hand dug wells to contamination has reduced the potable water index score for the southern area by one half of the maximum. The entire population relies on household pit latrines and VIP latrines donated by the GRCS. The villagers reported that all of the latrines flood during the wet season flood period. The flooding is the product of both increased groundwater levels during the wet season and the inflow of flood water from the surface. This situation cannot be avoided as the dwellings occupy the highest areas with the latrines are sited away from the buildings on the outskirts of the residency sites. This means that they occupy areas of slightly lower elevation than the rest of the village. When these latrines flood, there is often outflow of faecal matter into the surrounding flood waters. The CWH (Community Health Worker) reported that Figure 5 Massara: Potable water supply almost all cases of diarrhoea originate in the southern cluster of dwellings. Further, the village elders noted that a scientific study conducted in 20107 reported that the water was ‘filled with nitrates’. Both occurrences provide evidence that there may be a link between flooded latrines and illness in the village. As a measure of alleviating some of these concerns there are 4 VIP latrines, all in the northern cluster, which were installed by the Guyana Red Cross Society. However, the location of these sanitary facilities means that persons continue to use their own latrines -located close to their homes. Further, the VIP latrines are seldom used by the residents of the southern

7 The residents were unable to recall the names of the researchers or the organisations they represented Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 13 dwelling cluster (who are arguable in greater need due to the susceptibility of their water supply to contamination) due to the distance needed to walk to this infrastructure. Figure 6 shows a relative sanitation levels of each dwelling cluster based on the Sanitation Index. It was stated that latrines are dug 6 feet deep. At the time of our visit the water table was approximately 2m (6.5ft) below ground level. This suggests that even in the dry season, there may be potential for cases of ground water contamination via the latrines. The siting of wells is thus of utmost importance. The Sanitation Index scores for the village reflect this situation of both regularly flooded latrines and poor handling of animal waste. Both sections of the village burn household garbage in pits, usually the sites of old water wells and it appears that this is done regularly. Livestock was seen to roam freely around the village during the dry months. Droppings were observed Figure 6 Massara: Sanitation throughout the village. There appeared to be no precautions taken to avoid this material entering the open wells. An area where livestock, mainly cows and sheep, are normally kept in the wet season was also identified. This site is approximately 400m south of the main Annai –Lethem Road and at 96m is marginally above much of the surrounding land. Overall, the village has been given a high on the Index of Flood Rating, with the southern cluster being at greatest risk. The level of risk slowly decreasing in a northern direction. Interestingly, the villagers stated that wild fires are not a source of concern for them as they are generally unaffected by these occurrences. The exception is occasional smoke drifting into the village the on prevailing winds. This is an important development and should be noted in future assessments as well as considerations for the risk assessment database.

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Flood Monitoring Points It was found necessary to ensure that the village develops a structure of flood warning and response similar to the functioning of the EWP –RRMC interaction. As such, several Flood Monitoring Points (FMPs) needed to be identified, giving the community a reliable 3- 4 day window to prepare for a flood event while the village itself functioned as an EWP reporting to the RRMC in Lethem. Conversations held during the village walk around/mapping yielded that most of the homes do not flood and that the areas of settlement are on higher elevations. Never the less, several households in both dwelling clusters experience moderate to severe flooding. The residents further identified several homes and other structures, damaged or always ‘soggy’, a result of the heightened Figure 7 Massara: Index of Flood Risk water table during the wet season and construction from adobe/mud and wood. It was decided that two (2) Flood Monitoring Points were necessary to provide an adequate early warning system for the village. One related to flooding from the Rupununi River and the other from the Bonuni Creek to the south (see Figure 8 Massara: Points of Interest). The Toshao suggested that the Rupununi River FMP be located at the Rupununi River boat landing, a frequently used area where a pole or other vertical structure, gradated for water level readings can be installed. However, it was revealed that flood waters from this point take approximately 2 weeks to meet the dwelling area of the northern cluster. It is thus proposed that an intermediate point between the dwellings and the river, along the same path be used for the FMP. The FMP for the southern cluster is to be located at the ‘bush mouth’ along the path to the Bonuni Pond. This point marks an abrupt boundary between an enclosed shrub forest and open savannah. The villagers claimed that from this point, flood waters usually take about 3 days to reach the dwelling area of the southern cluster.

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A third suggested FMP was at a crossing point of the Bonuni Creek, along the trail to Kwaimatta, a neighbouring village. However, the 2 week interval between flooding at this point and flooding at the village may render it unsuitable for this purpose. Further, the trail is normally flooded during the wet season, reducing its usefulness and thus, the number of people who may utilize the area. Table 1 provides the latitude/longitude location of each FMP.

Figure 8: Massara Points of Interest

Site Flood Monitoring Point Latitude Longitude Coordinate System Massara Rupununi River 3°53'29.696"N 59°17'53.556"W Projected Bush Mouth 3°52'19.88"N 59°18'15.054"W Coordinate Bonuni Creek 3°52'20.009"N 59°19'2.56"W System: WGS 1984 (Suggested) UTM Zone 21 North Table 1: Location of Massara Flood Monitoring Points

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Sand Creek Located at approximately 2°59'35.495"N, 59°31'20.321"W Sand Creek is an Amerindian Village split into 2 clusters 101m to 121m above sea level. The first extends on both sides of Sand Creek at 2°57'52.604"N, 59°31'24.198"W while the larger settlement is at 2°59'34.572"N, 59°31'22.603"W, 800m east of Sand Creek and 1700m south east of the Rupununi River at their closest points. Both areas of occupation experience seasonal flooding with the southern section, straddling the Sand Creek particularly susceptible, experiencing flooding earlier, for longer periods and higher levels of flood waters than the northern site. The flood season in this area extends from May to July. The villagers noted that during the wet season, 3 days and nights of heavy, consistent rainfall typically results in a flood of the Sand Creek and that it usually takes 24 hours from the bank full stage before flooding of the southern habitation occurs via the creek. Large floods are said to occur in a 50 year cycle and seem to be linked to instances where the Essequibo River is already high, resulting in increased susceptibility of the Rupununi River to flood8. The population of 8059 (the same as recorded in the 2002 census) is separated into 150 households. The northern site holds the majority of the population and all of the government buildings, including the schools, health centre, administrative building and residences for nurses, doctors and teachers. This area of occupation is also served with potable water from a central well, pumped to 6 elevated water tanks and gravity fed to stand pipes distributed throughout the housing cluster. Residents of the southern area of occupation rely on rain water capture, hand dug wells and the Sand Creek for their water supply. This is reflected in lower water index scores of places outside of the distribution area (see Figure 9 Sand Creek: Potable Water Supply).

Figure 9 Sand Creek: Potable Water Supply

8 The opinion of several residents who said this was information passed down by the village elders 9 Sand Creek Village data, 2013 Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 17

Photo 2: Sand Creek Village Stand Pipe Typical of most villages in the region, water closets are not a common feature. Only the government buildings and 1 private home have septic tanks, all other homes rely on latrines. The residents noted that for most of the individual homes, the latrines flood during the wet season. This highlights a potential hazard of water contamination as raised during the Massara discussion. The disparities within the village are highlighted in Figures 9 and 10 and contribute to the computation of the Index of Flood Risk presented in Figure 11. The main airstrip is unusable during the wet season and as such a second area has been identified as an alternative airstrip. This site has a shorter runway and is said to accommodate aircraft as large as the ‘islander’ while the main airstrip can land the larger ‘caravan’ aircraft. As at Massara, Figure 10 Sand Creek: Sanitation an area for accommodating animals during the wet season was identified. This exists on a hill at 3°0'31.117"N, 59°30'5.618"W, 121 meters above sea level. This is about 1m above most of the village. As at Massara, wild fires were not viewed as a hazard affecting this area. However it was stated that in El Nino years, there is a lot of fire in the mountains close to the settlement. Flood Monitoring Points With major flooding occurring from both the Sand Creek and Rupununi River, it was determined that separate Flood Monitoring Points (FMPs) should be established for each waterway. The location of each FMP is provided in Table 2 and illustrated in Figure 12. The District Development Officer and other villagers had suggested that the FMP for the Sand Creek be located at the

Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 18 first dwelling north of the Sand Creek. However, subsequent reports indicating that from bank full to flood stage at this point takes only 24 hours. It is therefore proposed that the location of the FMP be at the bank of the Sand Creek giving approximately 24 hours’ notice to residents of this dwelling cluster. With further studies into the water flow and other stream dynamics, it may be possible to move this FMP further upstream in order to afford a longer warning period. The second FMP at 3°0'11.184"N, 59°30'50.353"W is in a small cluster of homes approximately 2.2km south of the Rupununi River and 930m north of the main dwelling area. This area is also used for grazing animals and is usually the first part of the village inundated by Rupununi waters in the wet season, normally experiencing a flood depth of about 5 ft.

Figure 11 Sand Creek: Index of Flood Risk

Site Flood Latitude Longitude Coordinate System Monitoring Point Sand Rupununi River 3°0'11.184"N 59°30'50.353"W Creek FMP Projected Coordinate System: WGS 1984 UTM Zone 21 North Sand Creek FMP 2°57'56.367"N 59°31'14.97"W Table 2: Location of Sand Creek Flood Monitoring Points

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Figure 12 Sand Creek Points of Interest

Mikey’s Landing The Ministry of Agriculture operates a Foot and Mouth Disease prevention outpost located on the Ireng River at Mikey’s Landing, Karasabai at 3°58'50.676"N, 59°33'7.426"W. It is 120m from the river bank and has been identified as an Early Warning Point reporting to the RRMC in Lethem. Being a single point, this location does not have the characteristics of an EWP as described in the Cuban model and thus, its classification may need to be reviewed. The Ireng River is responsible for much of the seasonal flooding in the north western corner of Region 9 and is an important tributary of the Takutu River, contributing greatly to its flow downstream from their confluence, making this site potentially an important FMP for the Central Rupununi settlements along the both the Ireng and Takutu Rivers. The trail from the camp to the river showed severe erosion which the team was informed had occurred in the last wet season, testament to the erosive force of this river. The camp is 5.5 km from Karasabai village and is located on Karasabai titled land. The proposed EWP is to be physically located at the Foot and Mouth monitoring camp. Since this is a single point feature and not a village, Water, Sanitation and Flood Indices have not been prepared for the location.

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Lethem The contiguous settlements of Lethem, St Ignatius (an Amerindian settlement), Tabatinga and Culvert City are commonly referred to as a single geographic area and will all be jointly addressed in this section. St. Ignatius is an Amerindian Village located on the southern end of this pilot area and is highly susceptible to flooding, mainly from the Moco- Moco and Takutu Rivers. These Rivers also influence flood occurrences in neighbouring Culvert City and Lethem. North of Culvert City, Lethem extends along the bank of the Takutu River to the Tabatinga River. Tabatinga sits on the far bank of this stream (Figure 16 Lethem: Points of Interest). It was observed that most households in all 4 settlements rely on rainwater capture while in Lethem, water is also provided through a central distribution system. Water closets are a common feature in Lethem, emptying to individual septic tanks for each building. However this is not the case in Tabatinga, Culvert City or St. Ignatius where latrines are the common feature. The result of this is that all 4 settlements received the same Water Index score (Figure 13) while Lethem received a higher Sanitation Index score (Figure 14). The result is a relatively low index of flood risk for the entire area (the lowest of the project sites) with the risk increasing north through Tabatinga and in south eastern Lethem through Culvert City. Flood Monitoring Points While the original vision of the project did not include any FMPs in the Lethem area, the consultant realised that it was necessary to locate such sites since this region is highly flood prone. All effort was made to recommend sites as close to the RRMC as possible and in places frequented by the community. Two (2) Flood Monitoring Points have been chosen to serve the Lethem area (see Table 3). The first should be located in the ravine below the St. Ignatius Bridge and should be easily seen and read from the bridge. The Moco-Moco River which the bridge spans, is known to respond rapidly to rainfall and rises quickly. The Moco-Moco River is a tributary of the Takutu and together they form 2 of the boundaries of Lethem and St. Ignatius. It is a major source of flooding for the residents of St. Ignatius and neighbouring Culvert City. As such it is proposed that this single FMP would function for both communities. A point further upstream on the Moco- Moco River was considered, but the St. Ignatius Bridge was deemed the more appropriate location due to its much higher level of traffic. The bridge is the only link between St. Ignatius and Lethem and as such, sees high levels of traffic – vehicular and pedestrian- throughout the day and night. It is hoped that an early warning device placed in such a high visibility area would encourage the community to become actively involved with the RRMC project and eventually take ownership of it.

Site Flood Monitoring Point Latitude Longitude Coordinate System

Lethem Foot and Mouth Camp 3°22'54.864"N 59°48'37.41"W Projected Coordinate System: WGS 1984 UTM St. Ignatius Bridge 3°21'52.758"N 59°47'47.056"W Zone 21 North Table 3: Location of Lethem Area Flood Monitoring Points Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 21

Figure 13 Lethem Area: Potable Water Supply Figure 14: Lethem Area Sanitation The second Flood Monitoring Point is proposed for the Foot and Mouth Camp on the eastern bank of the Takutu River. This river is the major hydrological feature of the area and floods rapidly. Its flood waters engulf all 4 settlements and the wider area. While this site will provide data useful in all 4 settlements, it will primarily provide information for Lethem and Tabatinga.

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Figure 15 Lethem Area: Index of Flood Risk

Figure 16 Lethem: Points of Interest

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Risk Assessment Spatial Database Training Sessions There were a number of positive outcomes resulting from both the Stakeholder meeting and the training programme. These are described below. Stakeholder Meeting Deputy Superintendent Norman Timmerman of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) raised the point that the GPF currently collects data on flood events and other disasters. This information is then relayed to the main police station at Lethem from where it is sent to Force Control, GPF Headquarters in Georgetown. The gathering was informed that this information is needed since the Police are tasked with investigating such occurrences. It was further highlighted that for operational reasons, the Region 9 division, headquartered at Lethem is also responsible for areas such as Monkey Mountain, which are administratively a part of Region 8- Potaro-Siparuni. Training Programme One major point of note was that several persons in the training group had little or no prior experience with computers. This group handicap resulted in slower than planned progress as several persons struggled with mastering the hardware and in particular the trackpad mouse and its buttons. It must be highlighted that many of the participants did quickly gain an understanding of the concepts under study and knew what actions were necessary when asked, they however found significant difficulty in executing these actions via the computer. A number of issues were highlighted and operational procedures discussed and settled through the two focus groups/ group discussions held within the training sessions. A full list of the outcomes of these sessions is provided in Appendix 4: Tasks for Database. In summary, drop down menus were preferred to open text boxes where possible. The participants also decided that all dates were to be converted to the ‘medium date’ format. Importantly it was decided that the ‘severity’ field in the hazard event table should be an open text field allowing for a description of the effects of the event rather than a drop down list with pre populated levels of severity. The District Development Officer for South Central Rupununi, Francisco Gomes, a resident of the Sand Creek community noted that the village often receives notice of impending high water levels from Rupanau, upstream on Sand Creek and from Aishalton upstream on the Rupununi River. He made an appeal to extend the RRMC project to include these two villages as EWPs if and when possible. It was recognised that despite the progress made during the training sessions, many of the participants who did not have access to computers risked losing the new skills as they would be unable to practice and reinforce the knowledge gained. This is a concern particularly affecting the participants from Massara, who noted that they had not used computers before and that only the village school had a computer. While several of the participants from Sand Creek and the Karasabai representative had exposure to computers, they did not have access to these machines. The representative of the CDC suggested that this organisation approach the One Laptop per Family program to arrange for at least 1 laptop computer to be donated to each village involved in

Oronde Drakes November 2013 Page 24 the pilot project. This would allow each village (EWP) to keep their own records and ensure that the sustained capacity developed through the project.

Deliverables

As per the Terms of Reference the consultant has provided: A) an Inception Report and detailed Work Programme; B) a draft design of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database; C) a draft of the design of the content, methodology of the timing of the training sessions along with a description of the training materials, hand-outs, user manuals and administration manuals; D) an empty beta version of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database; E) a test version of the beta database containing real, accurate data; F) a Final Training Report; G) a final version of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database; H) Risk Maps including evacuation maps; I) A detailed Final Report including observations, findings, lessons learnt challenges and recommendations.

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Recommendations Early Warning Points Stemming from the site visits to the various Early Warning Points it is recognised that there are a number of potential improvements which may benefit the entire administrative region. Chief among these is the potential expansion of the project to include the Deep South Rupununi District of the West Rupununi Sub-region. Expansion to the East Rupununi Sub-region may also be possible but more research is needed to endorse any particular location as being most suitable for this function. Recognising that only one district of the Rupununi West Sub-region is unrepresented in the CRMI pilot project, it is suggested that any later expansion of the project seek to include this omitted zone in order to provide complete coverage of the Sub-region. As suggested by DDO Gomes, the village of Aishalton, already the administrative centre of the Deep South Rupununi District, may well be an appropriate location for such a site. Karaudanawa, further upstream on the Rupununi River watershed, may also be a good candidate site. (For further insight into the inundation risk of the South Rupununi, see the ‘Region 9: Inundation Risk’ map included in the final map submissions, which contains the location of Amerindian Titled Lands.) It may be more difficult to provide such coverage for the Rupununi East Sub-region due to its differing topography and arrangement of the villages in multiple drainage basins located there. The Sup-region also has far fewer villages and a markedly lower population, factors which may make it difficult to justify project expansion here. However it is suggested that, if an EWP is to be established here, the village of Rewa located at the confluence of the Rewa and Rupununi Rivers, be considered as its location puts it on the intersection of the two main hydrological features of the Sub-region. Alternatively, Crash Water (in the Rupununi West District) located further upstream on the Rupununi River may also be considered for this function. Village Flood Monitoring Points While each village/settlement identified in the Pilot Project for the Caribbean Risk Management Initiative plays a role as either an Early Warning Point or the Risk Reduction Management Centre, functioning at this scale is only suitable for the regional context. At the local level, within each settlement, the CDC may be able to tap into existing knowledge and procedures to develop a localised strategy for disaster risk reduction. Mirroring the RRMC framework, FMPs may be set up to provide ample warning and a planning (preparedness and mitigation) structure for the villages. Monitoring these village FMPs, reports would be made to the village council or other designated body who would then follow an established protocol for disseminating relevant information and instructions to the rest of the village. This data may also then be fed to the regional RRMC as part of the report by the EWP site. Such a system may be of additional use as a teaching tool, building awareness and understanding of the functioning and importance of the regional RRMC.

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Water Contamination Almost all households in the sites visited rely on pit latrines to fulfil their sanitation needs. At the EWP sites, it was reported that these facilities are repeatedly flooded during the wet season, potentially bringing untreated faecal matter to surface waters while also possibly contaminating ground water supplies. The overflow of latrines into open wells is a major concern (particularly during high intensity events) threatening potable water supplies at both Massara and Sand Creek. While both villages have taken steps to improve the provision of potable water, significant numbers of their populations remain tied to rain water capture and the use of hand dug wells. It may be worthwhile to investigate the possibility of and encourage the expansion of already existing programs to provide suitable and safe water supplies to the remaining unsupplied populations of these communities. Existing Capacities Several institutions, including the Guyana Red Cross Society, Guyana Police Force, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture already collect various sorts of data relevant to hazard and disaster risk reduction. It is suggested that the CDC, over the life of the pilot project, build on these existing capacities to populate and expand the database. This may be achieved in one of two ways: 1) CDC copies to its spatial database, as much of the desirable data held by these agencies, or 2) the CDC gathers only the main aspects of the datasets, using headings to link this data back to the datasets of the individual agencies. This would enable focused searches of these datasets at times where the additional data is required. This process may also aid to streamline the data gathering between these disparate agencies. Further, it could potentially foster greater cooperation between the CDC and these institutions, highlighting the need for disaster risk management within the organisations themselves. Technical Capacities Recognising that many of the participants struggled to employ the computer hardware utilised in the project, it may be worthwhile for the CDC to explore the building of technical capacity in this area, either through direct interventions or indirectly by encouraging other agencies to pick up this mandate. Many of the participants were able to grasp the concepts being taught fairly quickly but struggled to execute the necessary tasks due to their deficiencies in using computers. This may be a microcosm of the wider Rupununi population and as such, is an important hurdle to overcome if the RRMC model is to be implemented as a best practice throughout the region. Since much of the difficulty encountered centred on the use of the computer track pad mouse, it may be worthwhile to ensure that the maximum amount of data input is possible utilising only keyboard entry (the use of tab, shift and enter keys). This would minimise the need for the most difficult hardware interaction aspect of data entry for the participants and may reduce time needed for and errors included in data entry.

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Expansion This being a pilot project, it is hoped that its successful execution would spur expansion into other areas of the region and country. One participant had raised the case of potentially expanding the project to include Early Warning Points at 2 villages on the Sand Creek and Rupununi Rivers. While this was in recognition of the roles these 2 villages currently play in the unstructured monitoring and mitigation of the flood hazard for the Sand Creek village, the suggestion shows that the concept of the RRMC structure has been grasped. It also highlights existing knowledge, capacities and practices which may be leveraged from within the region, for the expansion of the RRMC network. The reliance of Sand Creek on other villages for early warning of river flood flows may not be unique. If the CDC can tie such ad hoc relationships into a structured framework of risk reduction, it may be able to both lower the incidences of and loss due to disasters, and increase the profile of disaster risk reduction within the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region and nationally within Guyana. Further, it is recognised that only one district of the West Rupununi Sub-region is unrepresented in the current pilot project. It would be advisable to seek to extend the project the cover this district – Deep South Rupununi- if the project is to be expanded. Mikey’s Landing provides another interesting case for project improvement through expansion. The Early Warning Point as designated is not much more than a single building. As such, it is not representative of an EWP as defined by the Cuban RRMC model. The nearby village of Karasabai, on whose Amerindian Titled Land Mikey’s Landing sits, does however fit this definition. It is proposed that the Mikey’s Landing location be identified as the FMP for the village of Karasabai during the expansion of the project with Karasabai then designated the EWP since it has the characteristics of an EWP.

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Conclusion The CRMI pilot project seems well received within the Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo Region. The villages chosen for EWPs have all been exposed to various aspects of disaster risk management through a number of agencies, chiefly the CDC and Guyana Red Cross Society. Additionally the common experience of several disasters and hazard events appears to have fostered a keen interest in risk reduction measures within the region. Never the less, repeated visits and close supervision of the program may be needed to ensure that the system operates as intended. Repeated training exercises may also be required to build the capacity within the Region and to guarantee that identified resource persons remain committed and encouraged to function within the desired, identified capacities. The training aspect of the CRMI pilot project may largely be considered a success. Fully attended and participatory, the training sessions both reached the target audience and ensured that the end users played a meaningful role in the final development of the spatial database for risk assessment. The exercise also revealed an area of reduced capacity which must be addressed in the medium to long term. Repeated training exercises may also be required to build the capacity within the Region and to guarantee that identified resource persons remain committed and encouraged to function within the desired, identified capacities.

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Appendix 1: Calculation of the Index of Flood Risk This ‘Flood Risk Index’, is a combination of key variables affecting the overall impact of floods in the region. These variables encompass the slope of the land, distance from waterways and indices representing the availability of potable water and level of sanitation present in each settlement. This may be expressed as Flood Risk Index = (Distance from Rivers & Streams + Slope) - (Potable Water-Sanitation). Since the indices for sanitation and availability of potable water could only be aggregated to areas of settlement, the overall flood risk has had to be represented per settlement. The calculations were carried out using the ‘Single Output Map Algebra’ tool in the Spatial Analyst toolset of the ArcMap program (see user manual for details).

=

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Appendix 2: Comparison of Inundation Risk derived only from elevation with that of Inundation Risk derived as a product of elevation and distance from waterways

Inundation Risk derived only from Elevation Inundation Risk as a product of Elevation and distance from waterways

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Appendix 3: Land Cover

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Appendix 4: Tasks for database

 Set all date masks to medium date  User names on a drop down list o So a new table with user name and password is needed  ON ALL FORMS ‘Severity’ as a description field o So change from ‘short text’ to ‘long text’  An existing issue on the description of infrastructure text area does not allow data entry, fix.

Hazard Event Observations

 Add ‘Other’ in the Type of hazard drop down list o Create a subform for this too  User would need to type the description for ‘Other’ under ‘Event’  Add a ‘sub location’ text field to describe the area for hazards occurring outside of villages

Flood/Fire Event Form

 Water level in meters  ‘Inundated area’ as text  ‘Burn area’ as text  Differentiate between dwelling house and farm house, homes and businesses o Buildings will only be counted once and must fill one of these categories  Split ‘population affected’ into directly and indirectly affected  Split ‘farms/ranches’ affected into separate entries (maybe put as crop farms and livestock farms to allow easier integration with coastal areas)  In ‘farms/ranches text field list names of farmers and acreage along with type of crop or livestock (since the villages and Ministry of Agriculture personnel should already have a list of farmers names and acreage, this info may be compared to their datasets)  ‘Duration’ in days

Crops and Livestock Form

 Split ‘farms/ranches‘ affected into two separate text areas

Human illnesses

 Add description of symptoms  Add age range as a drop down list allow for multiple options (by gender?)

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Normal Observations

 Change River level, temperature, etc. to accept decimal inputs

Shelter Status

 Type  Name  Capacity (may not be necessary if this is a separate table from the ‘Shelters’ table – which maybe it should be  Occupancy/ Population - Male, Female, age range for both (created as a text input)  Date  Inventory – a text field – long text  Facilities – Type and number – long text

Population table

 Use medical reporting format

Suggested that we add:

 Number of farmers  Resource personnel – doctors, medic, Community health worker etc. -maybe this can be added to the village table containing village council members (name, status, village)  Leverage red cross disaster preparedness plans

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Appendix 5: Table Relationships of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database

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Appendix 6: Location Data Entry Form of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database

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Appendix 7: Normal Observations Data Entry Form of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database

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Appendix 8: Hazard Event Data entry Form of the Risk Assessment Spatial Database

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