THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has commenced discussions with the Suriname Water Company aimed at creating improvements in the sector.The collaboration is expected to foster improvements such as water analysis and design of water treatment plants here.
This was disclosed on Friday when GWI’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Richard Van-West Charles noted that one of the clear principles which came out of the discussions this week with officials of the company is the need to ensure that prior to design, all the water parameters are available to those who will bid for design and construction of treatment plants.
Van-West Charles told reporters at a press conference at the GWI head office at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, that the teams from the Guyanese and Surinamese utilities undertook a full week of work and exchanges.
He said both teams were able to explore mutual areas, such as non-revenue water, water quality, water-distribution systems and design of treatment plants. He said that Guyana is embarking on the construction of three new water plants at Diamond, East Bank Demerara; Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara; and Sheet Anchor, Berbice.
He said GWI’s young engineers have been able to appreciate and improve knowledge and skills in a number of areas. In Guyana , he said that the water systems revolves around the retrieving of water from ground to surface and the design in water-treatment plants here in this regard was discussed.
“We were able to explore and we will continue when our team visits next September to look at various strategies that they (Suriname) have embarked on”, he said.
He said GWI has been able to share information with the visiting Surinamese on the type of filter deployed and riverine communities and usage of other tools. “One of the critical areas of course for both utilities would be intense work on the issue of water quality”, he added.
Sophie Makonnen, IDB Country Representative, told the media that the collaboration is important for the bank. She said the move can create and foster improvement and better communication.
“IDB has been supporting, for the past 12 years, the water operator partnerships and they are in various regions across the world,” she said. Since 2008, she noted, the IDB has been providing more technical assistance to nations, adding that the bank is pleased when it works with various countries and the activities become concrete.
Jerrol Ferrier of the Suriname Water Company noted that there had been discussions in the past, but they never materialised. He said that there had been visits from GWI officials to the Dutch-speaking nation on an individual basis. “Now it’s going on an actual basis and I’m quite pleased with this collaboration between our two countries”, he said.
The engagement, which is part of the Inter-American Development Bank /UN Habitat sponsored programme, will see GWI officials making return visits to Suriname next month.