ALTHOUGH the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has congratulated the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for its resuscitation of fire hydrants countrywide, the GFS pointed out that while at the recent Pike Street fire, water pressure from the fire hydrant was not strong enough for them to access the needed water.
In response to this at a media briefing held at the GWI yesterday, Managing- Director, Dr Richard Van-West Charles, said that this is a result of an ageing network of transmission lines which is in need of replacement.
“I think we have enough pressure in the system, we can raise the pressure, [but] the problem we have, especially in central Georgetown, is the age of the network.
“On the said morning that they attempted to raise the pressure with respect to Kitty, and they did raise the pressure, we had a significant blow out of a 16-inch transmission line just outside of the office of the leader of the opposition,” he told members of the media.
Dr Van-West Charles reported that just two days ago, another 16-inch transmission line gave way on the eastern side of Vlissengen Road, just opposite the Ministry of Agriculture and added that some lines are over 100 years old.
“I think it’s imperative that GWI and the Government of Guyana, we find a solution with respect to a replacement of this aged network in central Georgetown. It is very old and in terms of us increasing and maintaining the pressure, it is something that we have to look at,” he said, adding:
“That’s why we’re responding as quickly as possible to many of the leaks notifications that we get…as the leaks come in to us, we are monitoring the response time of our staff.”
Through funds allocated by the government, the water company has a contract to begin these replacements in phases beginning on Vlissengen Road from Shelter-belt to the Kitty Seawall.
Meanwhile, from Shelter-belt to Cemetery Road in central Ruimveldt, the GWI is attempting to have the works funded through an Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) European Union (EU) programme, which has been tendered and is currently being reviewed by the IDB.
According to Executive Director of Project Implementation and Partnership Building at GWI, Ramchand Jailal, the phase-by-phase approach will result in an estimated cost of US$40M to fix the priority areas in central Georgetown.

In addition, Van-West Charles said there are a number of other issues that the government is addressing with regard to production, but it is the hope of GWI to change this shortcoming in its system as new schemes are developed.
“We have to ensure that as lands are allocated, that we are prepared to have the infrastructure in place together with the Central Housing & Planning Authority to service those populations,” he said.

The managing-director says the agency has begun talks with Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to include in their budgets, in the coming years, the coverage of rehabilitation and installing fire hydrants in their communities.
“…in those new towns that we begin to map out the number of hydrants that are needed and that, collectively, we find the resources to address it because it’s a security issue,” he said.