Latest update April 9th, 2025 12:59 AM
Clogged! Water supply disruption forces toilet closures at CJIA
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) modernisation project is continuing to be besieged by setbacks.
Passengers were reportedly using water in this plastic container to wash their hands.
The portable toilets that CJIA was forced to use in the Departures Terminal
Yesterday, a problem from Wednesday spilled over as technicians and other workers battled to fix what officials at the airport described as a water supply disruption.
Toilets in the Departure and Arrivals areas were both out, causing the airport to bring in portable facilities. These were seen in the departure lounge area.
Passengers and others reportedly had to wash their hands in what appeared to be a large plastic receptacle.
Some passengers were directed to toilets outside – located adjacent to the Lotus Restaurant.
According the CJIA, the problem with water started the day before.
“On January 8th 2020, CJIA’s water supply was disrupted resulting in the terminal buildings being out of water for several hours. Water has since been restored to the Departure Terminal and the relevant stakeholders are working assiduously to have the Arrivals Terminal’s water supply fully restored within the shortest possible time.”
The airport management said that it is sparing no effort to have the situation remedied.
The water problem would come almost two months after the washrooms were closed to allow for what the CJIA described as procedural sanitation for the domestic cold water pipelines system.
The airport had said then that it had brought temporary washroom facilities for the travelling public, especially persons with disabilities in both the Arrivals and Departures Terminal Buildings.
The airport had also claimed that the newly constructed or repaired water systems, finished water storage facilities or wells serving a public water system, must be disinfected/sanitised after the construction process by methods acceptable to Guyana Water Incorporated, and in accordance with international standards.
The US$150M modernisation project was started in 2011 with the signing of a contractor with Chinese-owned China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
The sod was turned in early 2013 with construction to last two and half years.
Since then, the completion date was pushed back time and again.
More importantly was the fact that a new airport terminal was supposed to be built to replace the old one which had a major problem…sewage lines that were not working properly.
The Coalition Government had instead of an altogether new terminal, gutted the old one and reconfigured it, building a small arrivals area as an addition.
It appears the rehabilitated terminal building inherited the issues, passengers said yesterday.
The modernisation of the airport was to accommodate bigger planes and make Guyana a hub, in the long term.
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