WITH the emergence of new communities and the enhancement of existing ones, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), being cognisant of its mission to deliver safe, adequate and affordable water to all citizens, will acquire a rig by August, said Managing-Director Dr Richard Van-West Charles.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on the sidelines of an event that the GWI hosted at its Vlissengen Road headquarters on Monday, he said that with the new communities there is now need to drill additional wells to ensure the proper distribution of such a critical commodity.

“We still have gaps, but we are acquiring a rig by the end of August… we know that we have to drill a well, for example, in Farm (East Bank Demerara); we have to replace one in Fyrish (Corentyne), and we’ve just finished a new well in Port Mourant; and we are now making efforts to have the well at Rose Hall rehabilitated.

“The ground staff has learnt new techniques and we have different areas where we have to put down more wells, where we never had before, so those are some of the things we are doing. And then, we are acquiring some other equipment which would more or less give us more positive indication as to where water is, and the depths that we need to go, so those are things that we are moving as fast as possible to try to look at the gaps,” he added.

Touching on the issue of discoloured water running through the taps of some communities, which is of concern to consumers, the managing-director said that GWI has “embraced and integrated” a new technique into its system called flushing.

He explained that in some instances where the “red water“ is experienced in communities, many of these lines have existed for years, but that water was supplied not continuously, but intermittently, for example for four-hour periods.

The result is, there’s a lot of encrustation, and moreso, the water is coming from an A-sand well, which in most cases has a lot of iron. “So what is happening right now, we are intensifying the flushing of all of the lines to clean them; and we have to do it with heavy regularity, so that we can clean the lines, “ He further added.

“Flushing is a new technique being embraced and integrated into the GWI system, so many people when they see us flushing, and they see the hydrants are open, that is all part of the flushing process. So that is being done right now, we are aware and we are looking at all the gaps,” Dr Van-West Charles noted.

Reiterating that it is a new approach and that GWI is trying its utmost to give a better service, the GWI managing-director pointed out that while they are aware that there are still gaps, some of the networks are old. “We have a serious problem in Georgetown; we’ve got to replace mostly the entire network and we have pumps installed to ramp up the pressure, but the problem is, we cannot increase the pressure or else we will have a lot of bursting of the mains, etc.”

He alluded to a recent exercise at D’Urban Backlands, in the city, which saw some 3000 households having access to potable water in their communities, something which they never had before. Also, that GWI will be following up on some information it received earlier from a resident of Timehri, in a bid to adjust the systems so that more people can benefit from the precious commodity. It is not that we are focusing on the hinterland alone, we are focusing on a number of areas, he added.

On the issue of metering, the managing-director said that with the new approach, GWI has observed positive reactions from consumers. “ In places like Sheet Anchor and Diamond, as we meter, the more we meter we have more water available, as people are not wasting as much water as before, they are conserving; they have to pay based on their consumption, so as we install more meters, we are having a tighter network and less wastage, so more water is available,” Dr Van-West Charles pointed out.

In addition, GWI sees the training of staff as important, as it seeks to enhance the aspect of customer service. Said the managing-director, “… we know we still have a little way to go with respect to the customer service side, with how some of our staff speak to customers; so we are doing a lot of training in that aspect, with the hope that we can achieve a level of understanding, whereby they understand that the customer is the centre of our universe and we have to respond to them.”

Noting that GWI is also paying attention to the response time for sealing leaks, etc., the managing-director added that customers are now placed on a monthly cycle, as efforts are made to correct, in some instances, some hiccups with the distribution of bills.
And, having observed that more people are having access to the internet, GWI will soon be seeking to ascertain from customers, those who would prefer to have their bills sent via their emails, instead of the now practice of delivery.

“So we will have people sign once they agree to receive their bills by emails, we will send it to them, so they have it on time. We are trying to make life as easy as possible for our consumers, but it will take a little time. The product we offer has improved and we want to hear from you when there are issues,” he added.

Meanwhile, the GWI is focusing on the quality of water it delivers, which is critical. The company is conducting tests countrywide, along with paying attention to schools, not only in Georgetown, but in the hinterland as well.

According to Dr Van-West Charles, in essence what has happened in the hinterland, is that several previous attempts at providing potable water for communities have not been sustainable, so there are many communities, both from a human, health and from economic development standpoint, where the access to water is very limited and residents are under stress.

On this note, he said the GWI is encouraging people on the coast and the hinterland, to embark on rainwater harvesting, and the stored commodity can be used to water a garden and wash cars