Several Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) engineers have benefitted from a two-day training course in the use of Geo-Electrical imaging technology to guide ground water exploration & well drilling.
According to a GWI release, the programme which concluded on Wednesday, saw the participation of engineers from the Operations, Hinterland Services and Design of Infrastructure departments as well as personnel attached to the Information, Community and Technology department. Two members of the Guyana Defence Force also took part.
The training was conducted by Orin Browne, Manager of GWI’s Water Wells Management Unit; Angela Franklin, GWI Hydrologist and Rafael Gravesande, Project Coordinator, Office of Climate Change. These personnel were trained in the use of the technology earlier this year in Madrid, Spain
The objective of the training was to introduce the participants to the newly acquired technology of geo-electrical earth imaging and interpretation of subsurface lithology. The equipment acquired is the Supersting R8/IP/SP Wi-Fi version, which will be utilised to perform resistivity logging.
Resistivity logging is a measure of the electrical resistance of a material, which indicates the material’s capacity to transmit conductive fluids. The technique aids in the characterisation and translation of the material’s water bearing properties thus enabling the determination of the presence of ground water in the formation.
The logging technology was first introduced to GWI by the Brazilian Army during the successful design and completion of eight water wells in Deep South Rupununi during the 2018 prolonged dry spell in the region.
Therefore, the use of geophysical investigative techniques will guide the company in making scientifically based decisions with respect to the best sites for the drilling of wells.
GWI’s Managing Director, Dr Richard Van West-Charles who addressed the participants on Tuesday, declared that the technology brings more efficiency to GWI’s drilling experience.
He explained that the company will be able to determine from the onset, the required depth for a well in addition to the ideal drilling location. This allows for drilling with certainty and GWI will be able to map water resources.
Dr Van West-Charles told the participants of the training that there will be a need for further capacity building to ensure that they are proficient in the use of the technology and application of the knowledge gained.
GWI’s intention is to equip the specially selected group of participants with the knowledge of the important concepts, principles and practical application of the use of the technology both in terms of the use of the software and hardware components. It is envisaged that after the training, participants will be able to use the technology effectively to perform geo-electrical surveys across all regions of Guyana, the release added.
