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$622M to fix two airstrips
Kaieteur News – Out of the nine contractors who bid to rehabilitate the Ekereku Bottom Airstrip in Region Seven and the Karisparu Airstrip in Region Eight, it was Ideal Engineering Services Inc.
The Region Seven and Region Eight airstrips that will be upgraded to concrete.
and The Orlando Charles Foundation of Hope who were awarded the contracts to the tune of $622,455,687.
According to information released from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), on April 14, Ideal Engineering has been contracted to work on the Karisparu airstrip to the tune of $314,421,450, while The Orlando Charles Foundation was awarded the $308,034,237 contract for the Ekereku Bottom airstrip.
The Ministry of Public Works which the projects fall under had estimated that $316 million can rehabilitate the Region Seven airstrip while $334 million for the airstrip in Region Eight. Kaieteur News had reported that the Ministry is planning to upgrade the airstrips to concrete structures since they have been in poor conditions for some time, which pose a danger to aircraft and passengers utilising them.
It was explained that the Karisparu Airstrip, which has a sand-gravel surface, would become water-logged when it rains therefore rendering the structure inoperable for take-off and landing of flights. The source told Kaieteur News that the surface is equally dangerous when dry, as it becomes loose and therefore affects the performance of aircraft.
As a result of the poor condition, there are limited flights to this location and the community is highly dependent on air travel because of the absence of efficient alternative modes.
Similarly, this publication was told that the Ekereku Bottom runway has a bituminous surface treatment, which has potholes. The Ministry had previously conducted repairs to the airstrip but the structure has reportedly deteriorated and poses danger to the landing gears of planes.
This specific runway is slated to be widened from 40ft to 50ft to be compliant with Guyana Civil Aviation Authority’s (GCAA) regulation. This newspaper was further told that restrictions have been implemented on the weight of the cargos being transported to these locations, as a result of the state of the runways.
To this end, the Ministry is planning to rehabilitate the airstrips from sand-gravel to concrete surfaces to better facilitate the users. Back in January, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh said, during his presentation of this year’s budget, that the government had expended $345 million in 2021 for the rehabilitation and maintenance of several hinterland airstrips including at Baramita and Paramakatoi. This year, $600 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation and maintenance of hinterland airstrips at Eteringbang, Karisparu, Paruima and Ekereku Bottom. “The interventions to be undertaken on the airstrips earmarked for this year are intended to make them compliant with the GCAA’s minimum engineering standards. Moreover, this will improve the safety for travellers, aircraft and personnel using the airstrips.
This subsector has been allocated $2 billion including $927 million for CJIA,” Singh had told the National Assembly.
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