GWI commences biological wastewater training

Jan 10, 2017 News

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) in collaboration with UNESCO-IHE (Delft) yesterday commenced its training programme at the Millennium Manor Hotel in Georgetown. The forum is on Biological Wastewater.
Biological wastewater involves a treatment in which the decomposition results are easily collected for proper disposal. GWI is looking to implement this system to treat the sewage systems in Guyana, especially in Georgetown. These types of treatment are used worldwide because they are effective and economical compared to many mechanical or chemical processes.
Five other agencies were invited to participate in the training programme – the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the University of Guyana, the Ministry of Communities and the Central Housing and Planning Agency (CH&PA).
The training is scheduled to last for four days.
At the official opening, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings said that, “indeed I’m delighted to be a part of the launching of the first of its kind in Guyana, the Biological Wastewater Training. As a country we have to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and in order for us to meet and to achieve that goal then we have to start thinking differently”. “Too long Guyana has been struggling with its water resource trying to see how best we continue to utilise it, how best we can treat it in order for Guyanese to have good quality water supply,” she emphasised.
According to the Minister, Guyana has to start looking at water security, and that water infrastructure consists of durable assets, but the citizens have to ensure methods are put in place so that it can last many decades and meet the needs of future generations.
Facilitator of the training programme, Dr. Carlos Vasquez said that he was very excited to hear about persons’ interest in the resource and sanitation of biological wastewater.
Also Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for GWI, Dr. Richard Van West Charles said while addressing the attendees for the training programme that, “we are here at an important point in terms of not GWI but Guyana, and this is very critical for us “.
He pointed out that, “we have septic tanks of which the designs are not the utmost, so therefore we have to look at proper designs that can afford the proper treatment of waste”.
“I do hope that by the end of this year we can stop the disposal of untreated waste into the oceans”, Dr Van-West Charles asserted.
“We are seeing a lot of medical waste turning up in the sewage which is dangerous for our workers… this should not happen. These are some of the issues that GWI plans to address as well as work with the population.”
According to Dr Van-West Charles, GWI is trying to employ a more integrated approach and encourage changes in behaviour of communities, so that residents can understand their responsibilities.

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