APPROXIMATELY 12,000 persons from Kilcoy, Chesney, Gibraltar, No. 1 Village and parts of Albion, Berbice, will soon enjoy a better level of service, following the completion of a newly drilled well at Chesney, Region Six.

According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Shaik Baksh, who visited the well site on Friday, the well is a success story for residents who have concerns about receiving a low level of service. It also forms part of GWI’s investment programme.

Baksh, who explained that the well is currently being tested and developed, pointed out that it is expected to be completed by next week.
He also pointed out that it is being done by an in-house team, which will save the company a considerable amount of money.

This well will replace the existing one at Kilcoy, which was used to serve the community. The CEO said it has become aged, but will be rehabilitated and kept for redundancy for continuity of water supply when needed.

GWI’s Manger of Ground Water and Well Services, Orin Browne, said that this is the third well being drilled by the in-house team since acquiring the new rig.
Browne said: “It boasts one of the most sophisticated and complex designs in the history of deep-well in-house drilling in Guyana… it is designed to produce in excess of 500 cubic metres of water per hour, which is double the typical well.”

The well, which was drilled to a depth of approximately 1,100 feet, has the production capacity to supply a treatment plant on its own and is expected to last for 30 years. However, the technical well-drilling team is confident that it will surpass its lifespan by a large margin, with proper maintenance.
He noted that GWI mobilised as fast as possible after listening to the cries from the community.

Meanwhile, Baksh highlighted that plans for the Berbice Region also includes the drilling of a new well at Port Mourant in first quarter 2023, as well as another one at Adventure, where a water-treatment plant will be constructed to serve Tain – No. 50 Village.

The New Amsterdam water-treatment plant is also expected to see an upgrade.
Those projects will tremendously improve quality and level of service for areas in West Canje and along the East Bank of Berbice.