Outages experienced around Georgetown and along the East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Thursday were as a result of the weather system, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said yesterday, laying to rest speculation that the company’s distribution system was to blame.
During a press conference held by the company yesterday, CEO Bharat Dindyal said the weather system—heavy rain and high winds—wreaked havoc,
causing outages as far as Yarrowkabra, located on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
Network Operations Manager Shaun Hamlet said the areas affected were served by one circuit in Garden of Eden which was disrupted by the storm. He explained that the storm caused several utility poles to collapse or bend, while trees toppled by the storm fell across primary main power lines.
Dindyal said thousands of persons were affected, even as GPL worked feverishly to restore power to the areas. As a result, he said, most of the affected areas had their power restored, although several communities remained without power up to yesterday.
Director of Operations Elwyn Marshal said that Diamond, Garden of Eden and Hope, were among the villages thrown into darkness as a result of the storm. Hamlet added that Agricola, Farm and Herstelling were also affected.
Dindyal reiterated that contractors and other GPL employees, who in some cases worked through Thursday night into yesterday morning, were to thank for restoring power to customers. However, this came at a cost.
Hamlet said these areas were linked by workers to the F4 Circuit at Sophia. But the added power demand created led to low voltage and other related issues.
Dindyal, who said he had received an email from a customer affected by the low voltage, said the company hoped to have the problem corrected by 16:00 hrs yesterday, at which time the supply was also expected to be normalised.
Dindyal cautioned that several other poles may have been compromised by the storm system and might have gone undetected. Previous instances of such occurrence, Dindyal said, has taught the company that some utility poles damaged in the storm may not show signs of damage until days after the storm would have passed.
As such, Dindyal said, he is asking that customers in the affected areas contact the company if/when they come across any of these damaged poles so the problem can be remedied. Some of the damage, he said, may take as long as two weeks to manifest. Dindyal asked customers remain vigilant.
Asked what measures GPL can take against these uncontrollable factors, Dindyal said the company has been exploring a number of options.
He said that they have considered the used of concrete, especially since the wallaba poles, which have been used traditionally, are becoming increasing expensive, while the quality and quantity being provided continues to diminish.
He said the company has also been looking at utilising pine and has already imported about 1,000 such poles. Some of these poles, he said, have been installed along the East Coast. He cautioned against interaction with the poles since they have been treated with arsenic. Though the poles are not dangerous, he said, persons ought not to be as friendly with them as they are with the wallaba poles.
