The plan was presented by Chief Executive, GWI, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles at a meeting held recently with Regional Chairman, Region 10, Rennis Morian, Regional Executive Officer, Gavin Clarke, Region 10 Members of Parliament Audwin Rutherford and Jermaine Figueira, representatives of the Business Community and other relevant parties.
The purpose of the meeting was to present the improvements GWI will be implementing within the water distribution system in Linden, with an emphasis on repairing leaks and breakages in the distribution network. The Chief Executive also stated that enhancements will be done to the water treatment facilities at West Watooka and McKenzie, including improvements to the filtration systems.
The GWI Chief Executive also addressed the operational challenges at the new water treatment facilities at Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward. Both facilities were constructed under the Government of Guyana and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Linden Water Supply Rehabilitation Programme (LWSRP) to supply potable water to the communities of Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward.
During the testing phase it was discovered that both facilities were not producing adequate amounts of water and GWI was required to continue providing service via the older production facilities at West Watooka, McKenzie and LPC.
Further investigation revealed a flaw in the filtration system utilized by the water treatment plants which prevented the facilities from operating at full capacity.
Following consultations with an IDB Consultant and a team from GWI, an ‘action plan’ was developed to rectify the fault discovered in the filtration system.
Dr. Van West-Charles indicated that the company would first implement the recommendations presented by the IDB Consultant with particular regard to the filtration systems utilized by the plants. The Chief Executive explained that the first step would be to substitute mechanical aeration with chemical oxidation using sodium hypochlorite. This, along with other technical recommendations submitted by the IDB Consultant, would enhance the overall performance of the production facilities resulting in improved service for over 30, 000 customers within Linden.
The Chief Executive further stated that leakage and wastage were among the factors contributing to low levels of service in Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward. He indicated that along with implementing the recommendations to improve the performance of the plants, GWI would be partnering with community leaders, heads of Religious Organizations, schools, Parent Teacher Associations and the business community to create more awareness on reporting leaks and curbing wastage. ‘About 58% of the water produced by the plants in Linden is Non-Revenue Water,’ stated Dr. Van West-Charles, ‘this is water we cannot account for because it is lost through leaks or breakages in the distribution system. Many customers at the end of the distribution system are receiving low levels of service due to this. Hence, it is imperative that customers be vigilant and report leaks immediately’.
GWI will be implementing a leakage reduction programme immediately and will be mobilising labour, tools and equipment to explore all areas in order to repair leaks and decommission old mains. The company wishes to request the support and patience of the Linden community as service may be disrupted intermittently. The company apologizes for any inconvenience caused.
You must be logged in to post a comment.