RESIDENTS of the village of Yurong Peru in the Central Rupununi will this year benefit from a treated-water system as the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) ups the ante on ensuring that the population receives water of higher quality.

GWI is also working to improve its record in which 19 of its 24 treatment plants have met world health standards for quality in terms of water content.
“I think it is important to know we have worked on water quality,” GWI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Richard Van-West Charles noted on Thursday during a press briefing at the Herdmanson Lodge hosted by the Ministry of Communities.
He said the GWI is working with the Pan American Health Organisation / World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) to install the treatment plant at Yurong Peru before the end of January, as he noted the community’s remoteness in terms of challenges regarding the installation of the system.

In other sections of the Rupununi, he said a number of wells have been drilled, providing residents with potable water.
He noted too that the GWI has addressed the water system at the Kamarang Hospital in Region Seven. According to Dr Van-West Charles, filter systems were installed at the hospital where he noted, water was being sourced directly from the river nearby, minus treatment.

Along the coastland, he noted that in Sophia, all the “fields” are being addressed regarding the provision of water.
One of the challenges GWI faces is the haphazard manner in which pipes were laid previously in “C” Field, but according to him, the engineers are working to fix this issue.
He said along the Essequibo Coast, the high iron content in the water was examined and GWI has been applying the mineral Sea Quest to treat the water.
As such, he said the issue of stains from the water on clothing, tiles or porcelain has been remedied.

Sea Quest is a unique blend of poly and otho phosphates certified in the United States and the United Kingdom for use in drinking water to control corrosion, scale, discoloured water, and lead and copper.

Dr Van-West Charles noted that the GWI has been working along with the Ministry of Education to address water-distribution systems in schools in particular.
He said the tanks in many cases have not been cleaned, but the GWI is working to ensure a project to remedy the issue is completed in Georgetown and will be spread to other areas across the country.

Dr Van-West Charles also said that water-quality reports will be published on the GWI website, noting that the new “app” on leaks is being publicised to ensure corrective action is taken.
“The focus on water quality is going to be an intense action, it started in 2017 and will continue in 2018,” he said.