The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) today said that it has started replacing transmission mains along the Avenue of the Republic and High Street.
It said that this is part of the Georgetown Transmission Replacement Programme through which the Government of Guyana is investing $1 billion to improve the water supply network in the City. GWI is replacing pipelines in a transmission network that was built between 1920 to 1960, a release from GWI said.
GWI’s Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh noted the importance of the project considering the age-old transmission mains are subject to constant breakage and leaks, which are costly to repair. The pipelines are unable to withstand high water pressure and vibration due to traffic load, the release said.
“We have to replace a lot of these pipelines because there are a lot of water losses, what we call Non-Revenue Water (NRW) losses in Georgetown and its impacting on the level of service. There are huge leakages around the City and no matter how much water we pump though the system, a lot of it is being lost contributing to the low level of service,” Baksh said in the release.
The work will be executed in two lots. Lot 2 caters for the section along the Avenue of the Republic between Hadfield and Church Street while Lot 3 focuses on the area along High Street between Hadfield and Broad streets. Each lot is expected to be completed in six months and both are being executed by C & L Construction Inc.
The release said that GWI continues to engage and consult with all stakeholders including residents, businesses, members of the public and sectoral agencies that are expected to experience some disruption due to the ongoing works.
