Diamond residents to receive improved water supply

–GWI doubling up work hours to complete Sixth Avenue well

Residents in Diamond and surrounding areas on the East Bank Demerara will soon receive access to improved water supply in the coming weeks as works progress on the Sixth Avenue well.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, gave the assurance on Saturday morning as he conducted an inspection of the site. He expressed that over the past few months, the ministry, as well as the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), have noted the disruption to water service in the area.

Minister Croal explained that this was caused by the collapse of the well that previously existed at the site.

“In-house, GWI was trying to make it operational again. That has failed. As a result, we had to fast-track the drilling of another well, which will commence now… This is being done in-house by GWI, so this is not something we budgeted for this year. We are doing so much already nationally for water expansion, upgrades, etc., but we had to make the decision and relocate this rig here to drill immediately for the people of Diamond,” Minister Croal stated.

He acknowledged that many persons are experiencing difficulty carrying out tasks due to the irregularity in the water supply, but assured that that supply will be restored within the coming weeks.

“I want to give an assurance to the Diamond residents that we have commenced work now to drill a new well, and we want to have all of this completed within a month… You will know, drilling takes longer, so… we will be doubling up, both night and day. So that is another cost we will be incurring in terms of overtime, etc, to get relief immediately,” the minister said.

He also noted that the construction of the well and the expansion of water management systems being installed across the East Bank corridor are part of the government’s macro plan for the East Bank of Demerara.

He estimated that the well will be completed within three weeks so that normal service can be restored in Diamond.

Director of Projects at GWI, Lieutenant Colonel Marlon Daniels, noted that water will be distributed between two time periods: 4:30 am to 9:00 am, and 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm, to ensure that citizens can carry out their tasks effectively.

“We have been trying to balance the network to ensure that everyone in the community can get enough water to boost their storage, and to ensure that they have enough water to carry out their daily activities,” he said.

As works ramp up to complete the new well on time, Daniels also asked residents to exercise patience not only with the provision of water but also with the noise caused by the drilling rig.

Meanwhile, Director of the well-drilling unit at GWI, Orin Brown, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that all due processes will be undertaken to ensure that the well is completed in keeping with all the necessary standards and specifications and that residents will receive restored water supply within a timely manner.

“I will ensure that my team complies with all the safety regulations, rules, and technical specifications and that we deliver this well in record time. We are professionals when it comes to this aspect of the work. This is the fourth well we have been drilling with our new equipment… We have just completed a well at Chesney, on the Corentyne Coast, which is one of the most complex wells in the Caribbean. This one is not as complex as that one, so we anticipate that we will complete this well in its totality [soon],” he assured.

CEO of GWI, Shaik Baksh, also noted that while a private sector contractor might have priced the construction of the well at some $150 million, GWI will be doing the construction for almost half of that cost.