Neil Beeraspat (ID# 816021840)

CIEN 6005 Essay Response

Question: What are the main ethical roles and responsibilities of a civil engineer in developing
regions such as the Caribbean?

Response:

Regionally, the Caribbean Countries at large are predominantly developing countries and as such
much of our infrastructure and social environment are still behind that of the developed parts of
the world like the United States of America for example. As such over the next few decades each
Caribbean nation will be undertaking several infrastructural development projects to enhance the
existing infrastructure and help with the country’s overall development.
Looking at my homeland Guyana specifically, we have signaled intent on a development strategy
that is to be implemented over the next decade, ‘A decade of development’. In this ten year plan
the government highlighted key infrastructure projects (i.e. the new Demerara Bridge, The Hope
Wind Farm Project and the Amelia Hydro Project just to name a few). This comes at a time
where Guyana in partnership with Exxon Mobil have started oil explorations offshore of
Guyana’s coastline.
Having said this, similar to many projects in the past, it will come with its fair share of obstacles
and challenges. As seen recently in 2011, the Government of Guyana embarked upon a $3.6
Billion Guyana dollars contract between two main contractors and a joint venture between two
prominent consultants. The contract was slated to be completed in 18 months but was eventually
completed in 2016; five years after the start date. During this time there were many instances
documented in the media of civil engineers and other parties involved engaging in forms of
unethical practices which led to excess spending and sub-standard works being done at different
phases of the project.
By highlighting this instance it shows the need for professional ethics and responsibility by the
civil engineer as being key to the success of our infrastructural development. Engineers are the
personnel tasked with planning, developing and executing infrastructure projects and it is their
responsibility to ensure it is done to the standards that are required.
In the Caribbean at large, we face a significant rise in unethical practices by our engineers which
have led to many projects having a variety of issues and other hiccups during the lifetime of the
project. As a result of this there needs to be stricter ethical guidelines for our engineers to adhere
to.
As Civil engineers in the developing countries in the Caribbean, it is our responsibility and duty
to adhere and comply strictly with ethical guidelines. In a few countries like Trinidad and
Tobago where there are legislations on Professional Ethics, it is the duty of engineers to comply
with these regulations in order to best achieve the desired outcomes for the various
infrastructural development projects. However, in countries like Guyana where there is no such
legislation, it is up to the individual engineer to act responsibly and not be involved in any
unethical practices (i.e. bribery, forgery, etc.). These acts undermine the integrity and overall
quality standards necessary for the successful completion of the projects at hand.