–facility will treat 8 million litres daily, serve 16,000 residents

DESIGNED to treat eight million litres of water per day, the Wales Water Treatment Plant in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) was commissioned on Sunday.

The $1.35 billion facility will serve some 16,000 residents from Belle Vue, Canal #2, Belle West, Goed Intent, Sisters, Wales and several other communities.

“This is a story about promises kept versus promises broken. This is a story of vision versus lack thereof. This is a story of respect, versus callousness. This is a story of The People’s Progressive Party/Civic,” President Dr. Irfaan Ali told residents during his feature address.

The official opening of the facility is part of a broader project; the Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme (CWTIP) aimed at increasing treated water coverage to 90 per cent of the population by the end of this year.

“We are not seasonal; we are not opportunistic. We are your constant, reliable partner in development. We don’t fade away; we don’t succumb to the sight of difficulty. We join in the pain; we stand alongside you in the darkest of days and light with you the brightest of lights on the brightest of days,” the Head of State said, drawing a contrast to the lack of investments during the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) tenure in office.

“Just using this one project as an example with the households that will benefit, the government, in this project alone, has invested, on behalf of every single household, $400,000,” he added.

Meanwhile, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal said the government has made bold investments to modernise and upgrade the water systems across the country, correcting years of neglect.

“This state-of-the-art water treatment plant will not only provide cleaner water, but it will also enhance, obviously, public health, reduce water borne disease, and improve the overall quality of life,” he said.

The government, the minister said, is aggressively expanding the national water infrastructure, increasing the access in both urban and rural communities and upgrading outdated systems to ensure sustainability.

“As we continue to develop our country,” he said, “we are therefore implementing world class technology, improving efficiency and ensuring that no community is left behind.”

Chief Executive officer of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Shaik Baksh, in his remarks, noted that some $40 billion is being spent for the CWTIP with seven plants being constructed along the coastal belt.

“GWI has been given a mandate to perform and to ensure that the infrastructure, is developed to the highest standard. And when I say infrastructure, I’m talking about water transmission and distribution systems and also the state-of-the-art water treatment plants,” he said.

The new facility employs the latest technology to ensure that the plant is automated, providing real-time data during its operation.

In addition to the larger facility, GWI has installed 18 small inline water treatment plants along the coast.

It can be upscaled to treat 9.5 litres of water, and in the future be outfitted with booster pumps and filters, further enhancing water quality.

The plant at Wales uses advanced technology, including automated systems, backwashing technology, and membrane bioreactors.

These features ensure that the quality of the water remains at the highest standards, already exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s standards.
“In terms of turbidity, the World Health Standard is less than five here; final water is 1.25 in turbidity. The colour of the water the World Health Standard is less than 100, and this plant is 44, so the latest technology has been used in this plant,” Baksh said.

Testing done in several of the communities that will be benefitting from the plant has seen improvement in the water quality.

Baksh said: “I’ve been out to the villages here. We’ve taken samples at Sisters Village, the iron at 0.1 and at Patenia 0.2. Number 0.3 is the World Health Standard…. Vriesland 0.2…So indeed, this plant is performing.”