Concerted effort being made to ensure improved water quality

Apr 08, 2018 News

Even as the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) focuses on delivering potable water to unserved communities in the hinterland, the utility says it is continuing to ensure that the water provided to residents in Georgetown and on the coast is safe and of a high quality.
This is also in keeping with the utility’s concerted effort to ensure equitable access.
These sentiments were expressed by GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles on Friday during a first of its kind engagement with representatives of news entities at the utility’s head office in Georgetown.
The purpose of the engagement was to explain the different processes used by GWI to effectively treat water and describe the water quality monitoring regime in the city and countrywide.
According to the Managing Director, there is a tendency by some persons to believe that due to the fact that GWI has been focusing on hinterland communities, the utility is neglecting communities in Georgetown. However, this is not the case, as GWI has also been placing much emphasis on providing water that is of a high quality and in keeping with World Health Organisation standards to citizens in these areas as well.
Delivering a presentation on water treatment and quality monitoring in Georgetown, GWI’s Head of Water Quality, Deon Anderson, pointed out that the Georgetown Mini Laboratory operates on a 24/7 basis and testing of the water is done on an hourly basis.

GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles addressing the attendees at Friday’s meeting

Samples are also analysed from all treatment stages and from strategic points in communities in the city.
The water distribution hours at the Shelter Belt Treatment plant have been increased from 17 to 24, with an increase from 10 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) to 20 PSI supply pressure.
All pump stations, including those in Festival City, North Ruimveldt, Kingston, Turkeyen and Industry have seen an extended water supply period of 24 hours.
Turning his attention to the Sophia Water Treatment plant, Anderson highlighted that over the last few years the iron removal efficiency had been extremely poor, thus contributing to the supply of aesthetically unpleasant water.
The overall average iron removal efficiency, prior to recent intervention was 24%, which was quite unsatisfactory. A number of issues were identified and interventions were made to rectify same.
These interventions included the optimization of the Lime Dosage and Potential of Hydrogen (pH), addition of Pall rings to Aerators and the optimization of depth of Filter Media.
The Sophia water treatment plant is now consistently meeting the WHO-required guidelines with respect to pH, turbidity, and especially iron.
The overall plant performance has now increased from just over 24% to over 90% iron removal efficiency, hence eliminating the fear of stains and discoloration to customers’ household applications.
The Water Quality head explained that in addition to ensuring improved treatment of water at the various treatment plants, GWI has also been partnering with the Ministry of Education to ensure that the water provided in all nursery and primary schools is tested and the water tanks cleaned.
Meanwhile, Dr. Van West-Charles pointed out that many understand that there exist gaps in the provision of safe water and GWI may not be aware of all of the communities which are presenting challenges.
However, he recognised the important role the media has been playing in this regard, since there have been cases where the media brings these challenges to the fore and GWI has addressed same.
The Managing Director said that Friday’s engagement with the media was based not on crises but an understanding of the programmes being executed by GWI, their impact, and the challenges which exist as well.
He emphasised the importance of the utility’s Regional Managers appreciating and understanding that the media plays a critical role in the work of GWI and that they should not at any point see the media as being antagonistic to the utility’s cause.
Dr. Van West-Charles said that GWI is hoping to engage the media on a quarterly basis so as to outline plans for the various regions.

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