THE Guyana Water Inc (GWI) has commenced implementation of a programme to improve the quality of service provided to its customers in Bartica, Region 7.The programme, being led by GWI Senior Engineer and Head of Technical Services, Dwayne Shako, is meant to provide improved services to customers of Four Miles, Five Miles, Carabese Hill and Byderabo, a release from the water company said.

These communities are served by the Bartica water treatment facility located in the compound of the Bartica Secondary School at 7th Avenue.

Customers of the abovenamed communities were experiencing reduced levels of service due to the consistent expansion of new housing schemes. According to GWI Divisional Manager, Bartica, Elson Khirattie, “Due to the increased number of new homes in Carabese Hill and Byderabo, the Bartica water treatment facility was unable to provide an adequate level of service to all communities supplied by the facility.”

In addition, the elevation of the Four Miles, Five Miles, Carabese Hill and Byderabo communities is higher than the Bartica facility, and this created the challenge of adequately serving customers. The facility required a high level of service to sufficiently serve customers residing in those communities.

According to GWI’s Head of Technical Services, “The communities are approximately 30 metres above the Bartica Water Treatment Plant. This resulted in some customers not receiving adequate service at peak hours.”

The programme to improve the level of service provided by the facility involved construction of a new reservoir and installation of an additional transmission main capable of delivering water directly to the communities of Four Miles and Five Miles.

“The new reservoir is capable of storing sufficient amounts of water so that the Bartica plant can now effectively serve communities on the higher elevation,” Senior Engineer Dwayne Shako has said.

In addition, all four communities are benefitting from the installation of a new ‘booster pump’, which will further enhance the level of service provided to customers.

Shako indicated that while customers will still be served on a scheduled basis, the programme involves two additional phases which aim to provide service for 24 hours. “As part of the 2016 capital programme, we will be installing two booster pumps, two additional filters, one additional clarifier, and an additional ‘raw water pump’ in order to provide service for 24 hours.”

Further improvements include the removal of mud from the area in the vicinity of the ‘raw water intake’ from which the Bartica facility sources its water supply.

According to the Divisional Manager, “Mud located around the ‘raw water pump’ posed a challenge in adequately obtaining water for treatment. We successfully conducted a dredging exercise which removed a large amount of mud from the raw water intake, which allowed the facility to receive adequate amounts of water for treatment.”

Following a telephone survey conducted by GWI, residents indicated that they were experiencing higher levels of service. “There is a considerable increase in water pressure,” stated Desmond Stoby, a resident of Four Miles, “I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in the overall service provided by GWI.”

Upon completion of the additional phases of the programme in 2016, customers of Four Miles, Five Miles, Carabese Hill and Byderabo can anticipate 24 hours of service, the release concluded.