A $3.6B project to create an alternative canal in Demerara is to get a rather unusual commissioning under worrying circumstances.Authorities are set this morning to test how well the 10 km canal is working as levels of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) reach threatening levels from excessive rainfalls.Government yesterday said it is forced to test the $3.6B Hope Canal this morning after heavy rains left the EDWC at critical levels.It is possibly the worst case scenario for Government and one they would have wanted to avoid at all costs. They would have wanted to ensure the canal is working properly first before putting it to use.According to the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday, there are very few options to releasing the billions of gallons of waters being held behind the EDWC dam.The dam is the only line of defense from thousands of homes and acres of farm lands that line the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.The Ministry, in a statement warning of the dire flood situation that could result, said that recent heavy rainfalls have resulted in the EDWC rising to a threatening level which may necessitate the release of water to additional outlets.At present, the Ministry said the water levels are 58.25 GD at Flagstaff, 57.70 GD at Lama and 54.85 GD at Land of Canaan which is above the full supply level of 57.50 GD. The height of the Conservancy Dam is 59 GD.“As a last resort, the Commission of the EDWC will take a decision to have controlled release of water through the Mahaica Creek,Cheap Air Max 90 Ireland, via the Lama and Maduni outlet, so as to ensure the integrity of the EDWC Dams.”However, excess water continues to be evacuated from the EDWC into the Demerara River via the five-door sluice at Land of Canaan,Scarpe Adidas Nmd Uomo, East Bank Demerara and outlets at Kofi and Cunha Sluices.“Releases from these outlets remain the first choice. To date, there have been no breaches and overtopping of the dams. However, the Ministry of Agriculture’s NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) is considering other options before doing so.”NDIA, the Ministry explained, will from 06:00hrs, start the controlled release of water from the EDWC Northern Relief Channel, which is located at Hope/Dochfour.“This will serve as one option to discharge water which will aid in bringing the EDWC water level down and creating safer free board levels.”The Agriculture Ministry said that NDIA will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that the integrity of the EDWC dams is kept intact and to ensure the livelihood of farmers in the Mahaica/Mahaicony areas.In October 2010, the then Government under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) launched the alternative canal project,Scarpe Adidas Nmd Scontate, describing it as one of its biggest ever to be funded directly from its coffers.It would have come some five years after the worst spate of flooding the country has ever seen that decimated crops and homes on the East Coast of Demerara,Air Max 98 Ireland, following a catastrophic collapse of the conservancy dam.The Government said that it would be “a long term solution” to the threat of flooding from the EDWC.The proposed channel was constructed through farmlands from the conservancy dam and designed to spill directly into the Atlantic Ocean. A three door sluice from the EDWC was constructed to help drain waters into the canal,Scarpe Adidas Superstar Uomo Scontate, run along the excavated channel to an eight-door high-discharge sluice structure at the Atlantic Ocean end.It is estimated that almost 30,Nike Air Max Invigor Ireland,000 hectares of farmlands line the EDWC area aback of the Demerara coastlands.Government has targeted a two-year completion but delays have left the project behind schedule by three years with only few minor works to be completed.