Residents of Princes Street, Georgetown, particularly those living along the stretch between Cemetery Road and Mandela Avenue, have for years been forced to live with a row of visibly leaning utility poles that they say pose a serious safety hazard.
Despite the obvious danger, residents say little has been done to address the issue, leaving them to worry that it is only a matter of time before one of the poles collapses.
One resident, who has witnessed the problem persist, said the leaning poles have become an unfortunate part of everyday life in the community. While describing the situation as dangerous, the resident, who prefers anonymity, told Kiskadee Watch on Tuesday that it has become so commonplace that many people have simply grown accustomed to seeing the poles like that.
The resident, who works along Princes Street, recalled that there was a significant electrical spark near 59 Princes Street on Monday.
According to him, several persons living in the area have raised the matter with the relevant authorities over the years, but no action has been taken. “Residents have reached out to the authorities, but nothing has changed,” he said.
The resident explained that many of the affected poles are located along the edge of the trench bordering the roadway, where shifting ground and the increasing weight of attached utility lines appear to worsen the problem.
“This is how they deal with the posts. Instead of removing the old, damaged pole and replacing it completely, they install a new one beside it and tie the two together,” he observed.
“Then they continue adding electrical wires, telephone lines, internet cables – everything goes onto the same structure. The old pole keeps leaning and eventually starts pulling the new one with it. Because the poles are connected, the pressure transfers down the line. A new pole may stand straight for a while, but after some time it starts leaning too,” he explained.
Kiskadee Watch observed a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) truck carrying out work on one of the utility poles yesterday. A contractor at the scene said the crew was replacing a pole that had been damaged in an accident on Monday, but he was unable to say whether there were any plans to repair or replace the other leaning poles in the area.
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