Entrepreneur Stanley Ming has raised questions over whether the newly installed drainage along sections of Carmichael Street will be fully connected to the city’s main drainage network before the next period of heavy rainfall.
Ming said sections of Carmichael Street between Church and Quamina streets have been upgraded with precast concrete drains, but the effectiveness of the works will ultimately depend on connections beneath the cross streets being completed to allow water to reach the main drainage outfall.
Ming said the drainage works were carried out by Guyanese contractors using precast concrete drains manufactured by Guycrete Inc., owned and operated by Ryan Rahaman. The moulds used to manufacture the drains were supplied by Mings Products & Services (MPS).
The project, according to Ming, began on Saturday, August 15 and was completed on Monday, August 24 – a total of 10 days. He said the works involved excavating accumulated mud and installing the precast concrete drains along both the eastern and western sides of the Carmichael Street Avenue.
Ming also highlighted a simple installation method developed to help contractors place the drains more efficiently. The device consists of two pieces of steel pipe, each 22 inches long, together with four pieces of one-inch diameter steel reinforcing bar, each 20 inches long. The improvised installation kit was provided to the contractor working on the section between Church and Quamina streets.
According to Ming, another contractor carrying out similar drainage works along Carmichael Street between Quamina and Middle Streets subsequently borrowed the device, tested it and fabricated a similar set overnight. He said the process demonstrates that relatively simple equipment, combined with the appropriate machinery and manpower, can expedite drainage improvement works. “A mini excavator, and a total crew of six persons, is the team required to expedite such a job properly,” Ming said.
The drains being installed are manufactured by Guycrete Inc., while MPS supplies the moulds used to produce the concrete drains and covers. Ming said the moulds are available for drains and covers measuring 12 inches, 16 inches, two feet, three feet, four feet, five feet and six feet in width.
Precast concrete covers are also available for the drains. According to Ming, the covers can be installed to allow pedestrians to cross the drains and vehicles to park over them, while also being removed when the drains need to be cleaned.
However, the immediate concern, he said, is not simply the installation of the drains along Carmichael Street, but ensuring that the new infrastructure is properly integrated into the existing drainage network.
Ming questioned how and when connections beneath Quamina and Church streets will be installed to allow water collected along Carmichael Street to flow into the main drain running along the southern side of Church Street.
He also identified another connection that he said requires attention around New Market and Lamaha streets. He said the northern section of Carmichael Street needs to be connected to the canal along the northern side of Lamaha Street. That canal connects to the Cummings Canal, which is intended to carry stormwater toward the Demerara River through the koker at the Cowan Street/Water Street outfall.
However, Ming said that koker has reportedly not been functional for several years.
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