GWI corrects Adams’ spurious claims

Sep 21, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) has noted a letter headlined “Horrible water system at the CJIA” published in the September 18, 2023, edition of the Kaieteur News.
In the letter under the name Neil Adams, various claims were made including ‘coloured water’ water flowing through the taps at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and that all water supply to the public is untreated and has high iron levels.
These claims from Mr. Adams are not based on fact. Firstly, on the CJIA, we wish to note that on August 17, 2023, GWI commissioned a new treatment plant at the airport and has been removing the iron from the artesian well water well within the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard for potable water.
This system was specifically for the CJIA. We have been monitoring the performance of this plant and the results have been highly encouraging. The iron levels have been consistently ranging from 0.02 to 0.05 mg/l, which are well within the standard of the WHO.
Our most recent laboratory test conducted on Friday, September 15, 2023, on samples of water supply at the CJIA’s washroom facilities indicated that the water quality is excellent for human consumption as it relates to both iron and microbiological contaminants.

Mr. Adams in his letter also made a broad, sweeping claim that all water supplied by GWI is high in iron content. This claim is far from the truth. Not all our supplies are high in iron content, and we would like to emphasise that in areas where this issue exists, GWI is making every effort to fix it.
GWI, under the current Government, has made significant strides in the past two years to address this problem under the massive Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme.
This programme has the specific objective of increasing the treated water coverage from 52 percent in base year 2021 to 90 percent by 2025. This will be achieved through the construction of 12 large new water treatment plants, upgrade of 12 existing plants and the installation of water reticulations systems to transport this vital resource to areas that do not receive treated water.
These new plants will complement 28 large existing plants throughout the coastland.

We have already commenced work on seven of the new water treatment plants. They are at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast; Parika, East Bank Essequibo; Wales and Lust en Rust, West Bank Demerara; Caledonia on the East Bank; Cummings Lodge in Georgetown and Bachelor’s Adventure on the East Coast.
These projects are expected to be completed in the second half of 2024 and will enable the provision of clean water to thousands of residents.
Also, before the end of this year, GWI is expected to tender for another five new treatment plants in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.
In addition, GWI is rolling out an innovative small water treatment plant programme in 15 communities, the latter of which are expected to be completed in 2024.

Work has also begun at the Sparendaam Well station to install an inline filter for the service area of Ogle to Better Hope South of the railway embankment and is scheduled to go online in late October 2023.
We wish to assure Mr. Adams that these projects are in keeping with GWI’s commitment to provide treated water to 90 percent of the population by 2025, and the Government of Guyana is investing over $40 billion in the sector in support of this vision.

Yours sincerely,

Guyana Water Inc.

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CJIA, Guyana Water Inc., performance, untreated, World Health Organisation (WHO)

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