UG to close again

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Turkeyen Campus of the University of Guyana (UG) will be closed for two days, starting on Tuesday, July 21, due to the leaking of sewage into the University’s drains and lawns, says its Vice Chancellor, Jacob Opadeyi.

During an interview today, Opadeyi told iNews that “I’m about to go and announce that the University will be closed for the next two days because the smells have started coming from the stagnant water and it is because our sewer system is leaking water into our drains.”

The main reason or closing the university down, he explained, is to preserve the health of UG’s staff and students.

“…for health reasons we want to close down…fumigate the place and improve it.”

Last week’s flooding had put a large section of the university under water. As the flood waters flowed over and out of the drains and on to the lawns throughout the university, the sewage which has, and continues to leak into these drains went with it.

On campus, students and employees were over-heard complaining about a noticeable stench which saturated the university’s environs.

It should be noted that last week’s flooding had also caused the university to be shut down for two days – July 16 and 17. During the impending shutdown, Opadeyi says that “the only thing that will continue is the summer classes or any exam that needs to take place.”

Meanwhile, the university is looking to give its sewer and water distribution systems a significant overhaul.

“We need to change the lines of the pipes because they are very aged. Our sewage system is over 35 years old,” and it “needs a capital injection to fund,” he explained.

He shared that university officials met on Monday morning with an intention to formulate a programme budget to address the above-mentioned issues.