The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has entered into a contract with Egis Eau of France for the design and supervision of bridge replacement and flood mitigation works in several areas around the country.

The contract, which was signed on July 13, 2015, will, during the first 12-month phase, see consultants preparing designs for bridges and fords at South River,{{more}} North River, Green Hill, Dauphine and Fenton, and river embankment and flood protection at the North and South Rivers in Kingstown and the Warrawwarrow River in Arnos Vale.

The contract, worth some EC$1.96 million, is funded by the World Bank under the Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (RDVRP). The proposed works are part of government’s priority investments to reduce the country’s physical and economic vulnerability to adverse natural events through building resilience to current and future climatic changes.

The designs are expected to ensure that vital transportation and other physical infrastructure are protected in times of excessive rain events. In the second phase, the consultants will, over a 12-month period, support the supervision of the construction of the bridges, fords, and river embankment protection.

The EC$165.4 million RDVRP is supporting SVG’s efforts to prevent and adapt to the effects of climate change, strengthen hazard and risk evaluation, and improve decision making.