Breakages in Guyana Water Inc’s (GWI) main transmission lines are being blamed for the cut in water supply to residents of Herstelling and surrounding areas on the East Bank of Demerara.
Stabroek News was informed that residents of Herstelling have not been receiving water through the pipelines since Wednesday. A few residents related to this newspaper that it was after their storage tanks went dry that they realised that water was not running in the pipes.
Others explained that the rainfall over the last few days cushioned the lack of running water but they are unsure what would happen when the water in the tanks finishes.
It is unclear when the water supply would be restored. However, GWI plans to transport water to residents who have no access to water.
Public Relations Officer Leana Bradshaw yesterday told this newspaper that “over the past weeks, we have experienced major breakages along our network within the Herstelling and Providence areas, mainly due to drainage work being done and not being reported.”
She explained that a 12-inch main near the Haags Bosch dumpsite which was damaged and another four-inch main that was discovered broken, have since been repaired.
Despite the corrective works, water flow and pressure parameters indicate there is another large breakage on the network. Bradshaw noted that workers are still trying to locate the breakage as they have been challenged to identify it due to thick vegetation and inaccessibility of some canals.
She said that they have reached out to Neighbourhood Democratic Councils for assistance in locating the breakage.
“The exercise continued today and will continue until full pressure is restored,” she said, before explaining that the company’s assessment on the ground indicates that persons are receiving water but only at “standpipe level currently.”
Contrary to her explanation, several residents last night complained of not receiving water though the pipelines.
