INCORPORATING CLIMATE DATA IN THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF AN URBAN AREA: A CASE STUDY OF LETHEM IN REGION 9, GUYANA

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1 INCORPORATING CLIMATE DATA IN THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF AN URBAN AREA: A CASE STUDY OF LETHEM IN REGION 9, GUYANA DENISE SIMMONS AND DR. PAULETTE BYNOE SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA MAY 16, 2016 GEORGETOWN, GUYANA

2 OUTLINE BACKGROUND TO CASE STUDY OVERVIEW OF LETHEM AND LETHEM DEVELOPMENT PLAN METHODS USED IN EXECUTING STUDY PRELIMINARY FINDINGS CONCLUSION

3 CASE STUDY: APPLICATION OF CCORAL TO LETHEM DEVELOPMENT PLAN

4 BACKGROUND TO CASE STUDY TRAINING IN THE USE OF THE CARIBBEAN CLIMATE ONLINE RISK AND ADAPTATION TOOL (CCORAL) IN AUGUST 2015 CCORAL IS AN ONLINE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR CLIMATE RESILIENT DECISION MAKING APPLICATION OF CCORAL TO A SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (E.G., PLAN, STRATEGY AND/OR POLICY, ETC.) CCORAL WAS APPLIED TO LETHEM DEVELOPMENT PLAN

5 LOCATION: 3 O 22 NORTH LATITUDE AND 59 O 48 WEST LONGITUDE ADMINISTRATIVE REGION: REGION 9 (UPPER TAKUTU/UPPER ESSEQUIBO) GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF REGION: 57,750 KM 2 POPULATION OF REGION: 24,238 POPULATION OF LETHEM: APPROX. 4,000 AS OF OCTOBER 21ST, 2015, LETHEM HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A TOWN LETHEM

6 LETHEM DEVELOPMENT PLAN - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES TO PROVIDE A RATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKING TO SECURE THE ORDERLY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF LETHEM TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ITS EXISTING AND EXPECTED FUTURE ROLE AND FUNCTIONS AND ITS PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT. TO PROVIDE A MECHANISM FOR SECURING PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN SHAPING LOCAL PLANNING POLICIES. TO PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR ACTIONS AND DECISIONS TO BOTH PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE COMMUNITY, PRESENT AND FUTURE. TO FACILITATE THE CO-ORDINATION OF POLICIES AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES DESIGNED TO PROMOTE LETHEM S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AS FUTURE URBAN CENTRE.

7 LETHEM DEVELOPMENT PLAN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OPEN SPACES TRANSPORTATION TOURISM INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT URBAN DESIGN Lethem Development Plan (2004)

8 METHODS SCREENING FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS SURVEY LETHEM, TABATINGA, CULVERT CITY, MANARI, ST. IGNATIUS, KUMU, MOCO MOCO, PARISHARA, HAIWA, NAPPI ANALYSIS OF CLIMATIC DATA WATER QUALITY ANALYSES

9 FINDINGS SELECTED SCREENING QUESTIONS 1.) Is your activity located in/ relevant to an urban, coastal or marine area, or any other environmentally sensitive or protected area? 3.) Does the activity involve the tourism, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, water, energy or Y health sectors? 6.) Does the activity focus on vulnerable population groups as a primary target? Y 7.) Will this activity contribute to improving disaster risk management? Y Y 9.)Will this activity require in a significant investment from your Ministry's/ organisation's annual capital and/or operational expenditure? 10.)Will the activity deliver or make a significant contribution towards the achievement of a priority national development plan objective? Priority High Y Y

10 FINDINGS - NEWSPAPERS Guyana Chronicle Guyana National Newspaper Limited Sunday, 3 January 2016 Go to... Home > TOP STORY > Wells run dry News, Local News 5 Dry weather taking heavy toll on Region Nine ministry By Staff Editor February 5, SHARES Share Tweet Print The Ministry of Indigenous People s Affairs today said that the continuing arid weather is taking a severe toll on Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo). A release issued by the ministry today follows: Effects of the extreme dry weather conditions in Region Nine Bridge to Brazil Wells run dry January 2, 2016 Rupununi drought continues Cash crop, livestock farmers count their losses By Alva Solomon REGION Nine is bracing for another month of dry weather conditions. Already, salty water is being pulled from some wells in the Rupununi. Severe dry weather conditions in Region Nine are taking a heavy toll on Indigenous Peoples villages and communities in Guyana s southern Region. There has been little or no rainfall in the Rupununi over the last sixteen weeks or so. Ponds have dried up and shallow hand dug wells are low on water while some have gone dry. In some places the rivers have also dried up due to the scorching heat and zero rainfall.

11 CURRENT SITUATION DROUGHT WATCH - DROUGHT POSSIBLE ACTIONS: KEEP UPDATED PROTECT RESOURCES AND CONSERVE WATER IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT PLANS RESPONSE TRAINING MONITOR AND REPAIR INFRASTRUCTURE

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15 FINDINGS - SURVEY

16 FINDINGS SURVEY: DROUGHTS DROUGHTS HAVE STEADILY OCCURRED EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS MOST SERIOUS DROUGHT OCCURRED IN 2015 DROUGHTS GENERALLY RESULTED IN REDUCED WATER LEVELS IN WELLS AND DRYING OF WELLS AND WATER BODIES Stabroek News (April 3, 2016)

17 FINDINGS SURVEY: OTHER EFFECTS OF DROUGHT CROPS: WITHERED AND DIED, BUT THERE WERE ALSO INCIDENCES OF ROTTING LIVESTOCK: REDUCTION IN ACCESSIBILITY TO WATER; ANIMAL DEATH; ANIMAL MIGRATION HEALTH EFFECTS: SKINS RASHES AND SUN BURNS; DISCOMFORT, HEADACHES AND RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS DUE TO DUST

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19 FINDINGS WATER SUPPLY GUYANA WATER INCORPORATED (GWI) OPERATES MORE THAN 3 DEEP WELLS WITHIN CENTRAL LETHEM INCLUDING CULVERT CITY, BONNE SUCCESS AND TABATINGA. THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS FOR THE SMALLER VILLAGES / SETTLEMENTS CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: HAND DUG WELLS FITTED WITH SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS POWERED BY SOLAR ENERGY, PUMPING INTO ELEVATED STORAGE TANKS WHICH FEED STANDPIPES WITHIN THE VILLAGE. HAND DUG WELLS FITTED WITH DIESEL OPERATED PUMPS, PUMPING INTO ELEVATED STORAGE TANKS WHICH FEED STANDPIPES WITHIN THE VILLAGE. HAND DUG WELLS FITTED WITH WIND MILLS HAND DUG WELLS FITTED WITH HAND PUMPS

20 WATER QUALITY ANALYSES TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS

21 CONCLUSION IN THIS CASE STUDY, CLIMATIC DATA WAS USED TO VALIDATE THE FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY IN THE CASE STUDY, THE TEAM WILL IDENTIFY ACTIONS THAT (I) MINIMISE CLIMATE RELATED LOSS, (II) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES AND (III) PROMOTE CLIMATE RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT IN LETHEM CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF USING CLIMATE DATA TO HELP PROMOTE MORE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AN URBAN AREA

22 MY EXPRESS GRATITUDE TO CCORAL TEAM THANK YOU