Diamond should expect water issue to be fixed within two weeks— GWI Chief Executive

Jun 09, 2016 News

Residents of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, roughly 5,000, have been without water for about a week, dating back to June 2. The Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) Well in Diamond has yet again run into problems.

Chief Executive of GWI Dr. Richard Van-West Charles (2nd right) and Operations Director Dwayne Shako (R of Van-West Charles)

Chief Executive of GWI, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, at a press conference yesterday evening in the Shelter Belt boardroom said that a press conference was not called earlier, because there was no clarity on the issue at hand. He apologised for the level of service that the residents of Diamond have been getting recently.
Dr. Van-West Charles said that since assuming his position at the helm of GWI in October 2015, that a specific well in Diamond has been giving some trouble since February.
He explained that the current well design is very new for Guyana. He said that the well is probably the only one without a conductor casing, and “maybe this could be one of the issues.”
Operations Manager Dwayne Shako was also present at the press briefing and gave a brief history of the issue the well presented in February, he noted that in the wee hours of the morning he received a call that they were pumping mud at the Diamond location.
That issue, he noted, was rectified and remedial work was done on the well and was functioning properly until last week.
Dr. Van-West Charles stated that GWI have some indication of what the issue is and they are currently working to rectify that issue, he noted that within two weeks GWI should be finished diagnosing and repairing the well.
GWI is expected to tender for the first well very shortly and that well is expected to be completed within the next two months.
The Chief Executive continued that one well is not sufficient enough to serve some 5,000 residents of Diamond and as a result, he consulted with the Chairman of the Board, Nigel Hinds to construct a second well that is slated to be completed in two months.
This well, Van-West Charles said, would serve a dual purpose, for the distribution of “ground water” and “surface water”. He stressed the need for at least two additional wells so that residents of Diamond could be the recipients of quality service and quality water.
Shako, the Operations Manager, noted that the technical team, on Thursday, saw indications that the well motor was damaged. There were signs that mud had seeped into the well again.
He explained that the company had done some chemical treatment on the well. “We used aloe and lime to get the mud to settle, then used the well camera to see what was going on in the depth of the well.”
According to Shako, at present, GWI is only able to get visibility of about 150 feet. He advised that in the next 24 hours the company will proceed with the chemical treatment of the remaining 500 feet of the well.
This will allow for better visibility to “see what the problem is.” He said that once the company can assert this, a proper diagnosis and remedial work will be done.
The Chief Executive stated that because of the defunct well, residents of Diamond will be provide with water via distribution trucks that will be operating as of tomorrow. Drivers will be operating from 8am to midnight through First Avenue to 21st Avenue.

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