Latest update August 20th, 2026 12:07 AM
Fire Service to install 200 new hydrants nationwide
(Kaieteur News) – The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) plans to install 200 new hydrants by the end of 2026 as part of an ongoing restoration programme to fix existing inoperable units.
In an invited comment to Kaieteur News, Divisional Officer Otis Charles provided a comprehensive breakdown of the current hydrant landscape across Guyana’s ten administrative regions. According to Charles, the GFS is currently managing over 1,200 functional hydrants, with the vast majority concentrated in the capital and surrounding areas.
The current distribution of functional hydrants is as follows.
Despite the high numbers in Region 4, the GFS has identified 150 hydrants across Regions 3, 4, 5, and 6 that are currently non-functional. Officer Charles attributed these failures to a mix of accidental damage by vehicles and the aging infrastructure inherited from the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI/GUYWA).
“Those hydrants are old and the spindles were damaged,” Charles explained, noting that “nipples” were often broken off on older units. However, he emphasized that a dedicated “hydrants team” is now on the road daily to conduct inspections and repairs. To date, 50 of these units have been successfully restored by the GFS team.
Looking ahead, the Fire Service has submitted a proposal for the installation of 200 additional hydrants before the end of 2026. This expansion aims to address “blind spots” in the national grid. The GFS is currently awaiting the final green light from the Ministry of Home Affairs to engage contractors for this project.
This surge in maintenance follows previous reports from Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, who had informed the National Assembly that historical neglect had left only 33 percent of the country’s 777 hydrants functional at one stage. At that time, a staggering 471 hydrants in Georgetown alone were found to be inoperable. Since then, the government has invested in repairs. In late 2021 KN reported, approximately $40 million was allocated to repair 151 hydrants through Compass Industrial Services. The Fire Service has also partnered with the Brass Aluminium Cast Iron Foundry to fabricate new, compatible moldings for older systems.
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