–old transmission mains to be replaced

THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) will, over the next three months, be conducting essential works for the benefit of Georgetown residents.
This entails the installation of new transmission mains from Square of Revolution to Cemetery Road along Hadfield, Chapel, Princess Streets and Cemetery Road.

The objective of the project is to replace old transmission mains along Vlissingen and Cemetery Roads that are more than 60 years old, to reduce the risk of frequent breakages, costly emergency repairs and disruption of service.

GWI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shaik Baksh; Executive Director of Projects, Aubrey Roberts, as well as the contractor, Suresh Jagmohan, visited the site on Wednesday, September 29, where works are slated to commence.

During a live interview on GWI’s Facebook page, Baksh said that this Cemetery Road Project will cost in excess of $200 million and is being funded by the Government of Guyana. He said that it is just a part of a wider plan to upgrade the entire Georgetown distribution network.
“Next year, already in the budget, we’re procuring $400 million in these HDPE transmission lines to continue this work next year. These works will continue for several years to come”, the CEO pointed out.

He added: “To replace all the transmission lines, it will cost in excess of US$35 million and the government is committed to replacing those pipelines and has already done so through budgetary resources to commence the works.”
Baksh said that upon completion, residents will stand to benefit from improved water pressure and hours of service as the works will help the utility to control water wastage.

Roberts said: “We’ve chosen the route via Chapel Street because there is less traffic disturbance…the work on Hadfield Street, however, may cause one lane of traffic to be diverted. When we get into Chapel Street, one side of the street will be closed…We will proceed through Chapel Street to Princess Street, then along Princess into Cemetery Road.”

In addition to the benefits outlined by the CEO, the Director of Projects said that customers within the serving area could look forward to a more reliable service from GWI.

“The key benefit is reliability because every time we have to stop to repair a main it takes us almost a day and you lose a day of production and a day of service,” Roberts said.

He also said that an upgraded system would allow the company to create zones among communities in Georgetown, which would allow for the isolation of disruptions, as opposed to shutting down the entire city to fix one main.

The Cemetery Road project is being executed by S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies & Construction Services and includes excavation works, the installation of PVC pipes, service connections, valves and fittings and the decommissioning of the old network. It is expected to be completed before the end of this year.

GWI is committed to reinstating all damaged infrastructure and ensuring the safety of all who come into contact with the project site.

The utility company said it regrets the following inconveniences which may occur during project execution: limited to no parking for motor vehicles, limited access to traverse the project area via motor vehicle, limited access to walkways and driveways, noise pollution from heavy duty machines and temporary disruption of water service.

For more information on this project, please contact GWI’s Engineers: Mahendra Mentore on 624-0230, Aubrey Marks on 620-1840 or Sajid Baksh of the contracted company on 678-6397.