…GWI blames low voltage at pump stations for issues

THE Guyana Water Inc has promised that by this weekend Berbicians problems in accessing water in their yards would be over and the company has reiterated that the issue at hand is as a result of low voltage by the Guyana Power and Light.

In a statement, GWI said it is aware of the difficulties being experienced by East Canje residents as well as those from Edingburg, Adelphi, Sheet Anchor, Adventure to Number 69 Village, Whim, Black Bush and areas served by the Manchester pump station.
“GWI wishes to state that it has no internal issues as it relates to its electrical system and mechanics. The issue with respect to access to water is in fact due to technical glitches in power generation by the Guyana Power and Light,” the statement read.

According to the water company, in order to resolve this matter, GWI’s Executive Director of Operations, Mr. Dwayne Shako has been in contact with GPL’s Operations Director, Mr. Bharrat, together with Mr. Rose, who has clearly indicated that there is a generation issue at the Cane Field Power Station. This has resulted in GWI experiencing low voltage at its pumping stations in these areas and as such has been unable to pump water to supply citizens.

“This has resulted in the power company relying on its Skeldon and Georgetown systems to serve the entire county of Berbice. GWI has looked at every possible electrical solution but our pumps require 415 volts to operate; they are currently receiving an average of 360 volts and with this, our motors will not operate”, Mr. Shako said. “In an attempt to push the pump station at New Amsterdam and Sheet Anchor, the cable and other aspects of the motor were damaged and had to be extracted”, Shako noted.

Additionally, GWI said the New Amsterdam Water Treatment Plant has been operating on a generator for the past 4-5 days. To date, GWI has lost millions in damaged equipment due to the quality of power provided by GPL and suppliers are unable to guarantee the longevity of motors as a result of the unreliable power supply.

The company said as a result of the low voltage, home-owners may experience minimal effects within their households, which require 110 voltage, but GWI’s situation differs. “GWI officers have been deployed across the Region in an effort to monitor the situation. Mr. Shako noted that “after speaking with Mr. Bharrat of GPL, he indicated that the problem will persist until over the weekend when the issue will be resolved. He said the voltage will continue to fluctuate throughout the day and more so in the evening when the domestic load increases.”

GWI said, too, that its pump stations are automatic and monitored via a remote control. As such, once the voltage is regularised to 410-415, the stations will go into operation within one minute. A collaborative effort is ongoing between GWI and GPL in an effort to address this challenge.