seawall
A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...
that runs along much of Guyana's coastline, including all of the coastline in the capital city of Georgetown. It protects settlements in the coastal areas of Guyana, most of which are below
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
at
high tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables c ...
.
Construction
Seawalls are necessary because of constant erosion of land by the sea. Historians note that two estates, Kierfield and Sandy Point, known to be existing in 1792 north of the present Georgetown Seawall, were completely washed away by 1804.
Tables of erosion and accretion, started by G. O. Case and maintained by the government, showed that accretion in the early 1840s was followed by erosion in the late 1840s. By 1855, the great Kingston Flood took place when the sea-dam, an earthen wall, was breached. It inundated the Kingston ward of Georgetown and washed away Camp House (the former residence for governors of the colony).
It was after this catastrophe that the sea wall between Fort William Frederick and the Round House was started in 1858. Built principally by convict labor with granite from the Penal Settlement at Mazaruni (now Mazaruni Prison), the first section, which ran from Fort Groyne to Round House was completed by 1860. In 1874, the Public Works department of British Guiana committed to the construction of a continuous wall from Camp Street to Kitty. By 1882, the Sea Wall had been extended to reach as far as Unity Village and it was completed in 1892
Further history
In 1903 the
Georgetown Seawall Bandstand The Georgetown Seawall Bandstand is an iron bandstand that is situated on the western end of Georgetown Seawall in Guyana. It is one of three bandstands in Georgetown, the other two being situated in the Botanical Gardens and the Promenade Garden ...
was built with funds subscribed by the public as a memorial to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
. The shelter north of the bandstand, called the Koh-i-noor Shelter, was erected in 1903.
Serious flooding resulting from breaches in the sea wall took place at Enmore in 1955, at
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Bladen Hall in 1961.
See also
*
East Demerara Water Conservancy
The East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) is one of Guyana's major water storage and flood control facilities. Over 500,000 residents inhabit the basin that lies below and between the sea wall and the EDWC Dam in a 48 km band from Georget ...
*
Water supply and sanitation in Guyana
Guyana, meaning "land of many waters", is rich in water resources. Most of the population is concentrated in the coastal plain, much of which is below sea level and is protected by a series of sea walls. A series of shallow reservoirs inland of ...