The Guyana Water Inc (GWI) says it has heightened measures to address the water supply challenges being experienced by residents of Linden including changing incorrect filter media used on a key project.
Chief Executive, GWI, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles convened a meeting on Friday with Regional Chairman, Renis Morian to provide an update on the remedial works being implemented to improve the level of access and quality of water provided to customers of Linden, GWI said. Present at the meeting were IMC Chairman Orin Gordon, representatives of the Regional Democratic Council, Sandra Adams, Elymuwell Barkoye and Stanley Collins as well as members of the business community and other stakeholders.
Senior Engineer and Head of Technical Services, GWI, Dwayne Shako presented an update on the programme to correct the design flaws found in the filtration system at the new water treatment facilities at Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc. The new facilities are part of the Government of Guyana and Inter-American Development Bank- funded Linden Water Supply and Rehabilitation Programme (LWSRP).
The GWI Engineer said that after a review by an IDB Consultant, it was determined that the process design of the facilities was flawed including the use of incorrect filter media. “Filter media is vital to the ability of the treatment plant to provide safe, potable water,” stated Shako, “hence GWI will be replacing the filter media and installing a geotextile membrane which will allow both facilities to function at full capacity and increase the amount of water available for customers of Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward”. He indicated that the company would be working in the swiftest manner possible to complete this task by the end of February 2016.
Earlier this year, Chairman of the Linden Interim Management Committee, Gordon had commented on the issues affecting the facilities—a modern water treatment facility and a 3,200 cubic metre reservoir at Wisroc and a 2,800 cubic metre reservoir and a 200 foot well at Amelia’s Ward following a tour on August 22 that included members of the media.
To further improve the performance of the facilities at Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward, GWI, the release said yesterday, will be installing another hypochlorite tank in January 2016 which will help in the purification process. Other enhancements include the reconfiguration of piping systems and the installation of a variable speed device for a more efficient treatment process. In addition, the new facilities will work in conjunction with the older water treatment plants including the LPC Plant and the facilities at West Watooka and McKenzie.
Van West-Charles said that the company will also be improving access to water through the reduction of leaks. ‘If we can reduce the amount of water wasted via leaks and breakages in the distribution system, more water will be available for customers. I’ve personally spearheaded the implementation of a Leak Detection Team that will be working throughout Linden to identify leaks and conduct repairs on the spot’.
The Chief Executive further stated that the names and photographs of all the GWI employees working within the newly formed Leak Detection Unit will be published since these employees will be working after 18:00hours (6:00PM) on particular days. “GWI will ensure that the activities of the Leak Detection Team are consistently publicised,” Van West-Charles stated.
