“117-year-old pipes to be replaced at Cemetery Road,” – GWI, Director of Operations
— 14 Inch Pipelines Network were laid in 1902
— Supplementary Provision approved for pipes replacement
DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 23, 2019
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) technicians have been working tirelessly to correct a damaged 14-inch main at Cemetery Road, Georgetown. The damage caused to the main is as a result of the City’s ageing distribution network, which was installed more than 100 years ago.
GWI’s, Executive Director of Operations, Dwayne Shako stated that operation is still ongoing and technicians will be working around the clock to restore the water supply.
“The breakage was over a large canal. We could not have reached the breakage because the water in the Canal is higher than the pipes. However, for us carry out the repairs we had to create two dams or revetments. This way we were able to stop the water that has been pumped out, on both sides of the lines, to conduct a proper assessment,” Shako explained.
He explained that the city’s network spans from Turkeyen to Agricola and is interlinked allowing for servicing of more than one community at a time. He noted that the downside to the interconnectivity is that in the event of a break GWI has to shut down the water service to several areas, to effect repairs
“We had to shut down Turkeyen which means that Cummings Lodge area would be out of water, North Ruimveldt, Festival City, Sophia Plant, Central Plant and Kingston. So, the entire Georgetown was out because it takes about eight hours for the network to depressurize in Georgetown,” Shako explained.
GWI, Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles said that there are discussions ongoing with the Ministries of Communities and Finance concerning support for the network.
“We have highlighted the issues of the aged network within the Capital City and we have received the approval of the supplementary provision in which we are going to be replacing lines in Church Street and Vlissengen Road,” Dr. Van West-Charles said
He further added that there were several breakages on Vlissengen Road and Church Street, Georgetown. However, the Agency received resources to purchase new HDP Pipes, which will be replaced.
In the 2020 Budget, there will be a replacement of the transmission line for Cemetery Road, Georgetown, since the area is a critical artery for the supply of water to the City. Other areas in the City, such as Kitty, Kingston and Albouystown will get lines replacement after the operation is executed at Cemetery Road, Georgetown.