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Training Module 4 - Sea Defence Structures
Field visit Profit-Foulis (4 March, 2004)
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Impression of the field visit by Mr. Allex Roland Harte
The midday sun
shone brightly overhead as we made sure everyone was present. No sooner than a
physical count was made, all 16 of us, including Mr. Frank Wiersma, the project
facilitator and Mr. Mewburn Amsterdam, the project manager for Guyana Sea Defences, departed promptly for our destination Profit-Foulis. The drive took a
little more than one hour, but to us it seemed like forever. However, we finally
reached our destination and were greeted by the cool sea breeze which also helps
to fuel the destructive influence of the waves. It was almost immediately that
our quite informative field trip began. The objective of the field visit was to
deepen our practical knowledge in understanding theoretical situations of us,
joining the Training Programme, in Module 4, Sea Defence Structures.
Mr. Wiersma proceeded by giving us a back ground understanding of the situation
at hand; illustrated by maps, graphs and aerial pictures. The significant
retreat of the sea defence was quite evident after examining the pictorial
representations. It was also observed how significantly the primary sea defence
mechanism, mangrove patches, reduced the effects of wave action on the sea dam
in some areas. At present there remains about just over a 300 ft of mangrove
protection to the sea defence west of Profit, in addition to the sparsely
scattered vegetation which remains. However, the evidently disappearing fringe
of mangrove which took the brunt of the sea’s anger was already showing signs of
waning. No doubt we understood in a few more years the dam protected by this
patch of vegetation would also breach if not action would be taken soon!
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Our next stop was Foulis. Only this time we travelled the stretch of the sea dam
by foot. As we headed east, we noticed a dramatic change in the nature of the
wave. Inspite of the fact that it was high tide, the heavy presence of wave
action was greatly reduced as it came within some distance from the sea dam.
This distance increased as we further headed east as if forming a wedge along
the shoreline. Mr. Wiersma then pointed out to us that a heavy build up of
“sling mud” was there. This, he reminded us, dampened the wave energy, causing
the waves to greatly reduce in size and strength. But before we knew it, we were
in experiencing another change, a change in the weather.
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What had started out as a bright and sunny day was now a wet and muddy day. No
one was exempted. The rain got us all. We were all soaked and messy. But inspite
of this we bravely pressed on through the thick mud that saddled our shoes. In
fact, we were enjoying it. No one complained. Everyone wore smiles and laughter
and we welcomed the experience with open minds and hearts. We look forward to
our next trip soon!
Back to Training Module 4
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